Sparks Fly
by wildflower0113
Summary: When the worst happens, Steph learns who really cares and what's most important to her. This is a Babe HEA.
1. Chapter 1

**Sparks Fly**

**Chapter One**

_Stephanie_

I had been officially working for RangeMan full-time for about a year. I had blown up, flattened, smashed, or otherwise destroyed several vehicles in that time, but there always seemed to be a new one waiting for me next to Ranger's Turbo, and today was no exception.

As Vince pulled around to drop me off before heading back out on a surveillance shift, I let out a sigh. Ranger never made a big deal about loaning me cars, but every time I blew mine up I was certain it would be the end of his tolerance. He assured me that would never happen, but honestly, _I_ had just about reached the end of my rope with my car curse. Regardless, I was now out a car, and until the insurance money came in I might as well use the loaner. The fact that my loaner had leather seats and that new-car smell was a burden I was willing to bear.

Figuring since I was already here, I might as well head up to the 5th floor of RangeMan and start plowing through my never-ending pile of searches. As the elevator dinged open on 5, I heard the guys start yelling and clapping.

"You put on a nice show this time, Bomber!"

"I hear they found pieces of your Pinto two blocks away! That must be a new distance record!"

I felt myself turning pink and rushed over to my cubicle as the guys continued their little pick-on-Explosion-Girl session. I had a TastyCake hidden in the back of a drawer that would make this situation much easier to bear. Lester came over and leaned against my desk.

"You ok, Steph?" He looked genuinely concerned, even though I knew Les was the biggest joker of all the Merry Men. I gave him a small smile and a shrug.

"I'm fine, really. Bobby came with Ranger and checked me out. Just a couple bruises. The car blew when my back was turned, and when I turned to look I tripped and fell onto the sidewalk."

"Any idea who it was this time?"

I let out another sigh. "No, and at this point I'm not sure I want to know. My life is so full of crazies, I just want to pretend for awhile that they don't exist."

"Sometimes that's all you can do, Beautiful. One foot in front of the other. If you want, I can take you out in my new truck." He waggled his eyebrows at me. "It's got a smooth ride, and I can promise it won't blow up."

I laughed, feeling a little better. I knew Les was just kidding, but it's nice to pretend I'm still an attractive, single woman sometimes. Especially after a morning of picking gravel and dirt out of my hair while staring at the smoldering remains of my Pinto.

Les took off to finish his shift at the control room, and I turned back to my work. Something was bothering me about the current file I was looking at, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It was a case for Ranger, and I wanted to feel like I was the one helping him out, for once. I spent the rest of my morning trying to find a promising lead, but kept coming up blank. Finally, frustrated, I gave up and headed to the break room to scrounge up lunch.

I was chatting with a few of the guys, trying to convince myself that my turkey and swiss on wheat was really a well-disguised meatball sub, when Ranger walked in. He grabbed a salad and a bottle of water from the fridge, gave me a look that I couldn't decipher, and walked out. Excusing myself, I hurried out of the break room to follow Ranger to his office. I wanted to go over the file with him again and see if he had any ideas I hadn't thought of. Ok, maybe I was also rewarding myself for being so good about lunch with a nice view. What can I say; a shower massager only goes so far.

"Yo." He's always so verbose.

"Yo yourself," I replied, dropping the file on his desk. "I wanted to talk to you about the Moreno file. My searches are all coming up blank. I'm convinced it's a cover, because his history only goes back about five years. Past that, there's nothing. I can't figure out what game this guy's playing. I was hoping maybe you could give me some direction, because right now I'm at a loss."

"Honestly, Babe, we're not too sure what Moreno's after either. He's been around, asking questions about RangeMan. He doesn't seem to be a threat, but something seems off. The fact that he has no history beyond five years ago just confirms that. At this point, there's not much more we can do until he gives away his motive." Ranger's blank face slipped for a moment and he looked worn out. I walked around his desk and he pulled me onto his lap. I turned to face him, reaching up with one hand to touch his temple.

"You look exhausted. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be adding more work to your pile. Is there anything I can do?" That was a testament to how grateful I was for his help this morning. Volunteering for more desk duty is not typical behavior for me.

He pulled me closer and brushed his lips against mine.

"I can think of something..." I leaned in and let out a soft moan, pressing closer against his chest. He deepened the kiss and I completely forgot that we were in his office in the middle of the workday. I shifted around to straddle him and his grip tightened, one hand on my back, gripping me to him, the other hand wrapped in my hair. My hand slid down his torso, moving to pull his shirt off. He growled and rolled his hips against me, letting me feel exactly what he needed. I got his shirt off and went to unbuckle his utility belt. He stopped me, pulling it off and setting it aside. He lifted me up and laid me on his desk, leaning over to keep contact with my lips. His shifted, moving down to grip my hips, then he was pulling my shirt off. We were both breathing heavy and there was no denying the fire that had been lit in such a short time. His hands were everywhere at once, and his eyes were anchoring me in the moment. As we kissed I couldn't keep my hands from wandering over his chest, up to his shoulders, and down his back to feel his muscles tensing as he pressed against me. All I knew was if I didn't have Ranger inside me in the next two minutes, I was going to implode. Apparently he felt the same way because he ended the kiss to reach down and pull off my black cargoes and boots, toeing his off at the same time and kicking them against the opposite wall. I leaned up to pull his cargoes down and got a big reminder that Ranger always went commando. I reached down to stroke him and he froze, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw. Abruptly his control snapped and he grabbed my hands, pulling them up and holding me against the desk. He leaned back down and kissed me hard, his tongue invading my mouth as I felt him slide inside me. I let out another moan and he pulled back a little and thrust in to the hilt, pressing against me in all the right places. I could already feel myself spiraling towards the edge.

"Ranger... more..." I moaned, running my nails down his back as I watched his eyes darken. He let out another growl and I felt him start to lose control. As I felt myself falling over the edge with him and began to scream his name, he swallowed my scream with a kiss and I felt him push into me one last time. I felt the warmth spread inside me as he gripped my hips even harder. He rocked against me, drawing out the orgasm so I swear I saw stars.

As his body stilled he kissed me gently, and I reached up to run my fingers through his hair that had fallen out of its tie in all the heated rush. His eyes closed briefly and when they opened I swear I saw an expression on his face... it looked almost like – but then he pulled back to stand up straight, pulling me up to lean against him as we got our breathing under control.

I heard him let out a soft chuckle.

"Shit, Babe, I'm not going to be able to focus in here the rest of the day."

I smiled and looked up at him.

"Yeah, well, at least you aren't the one who's going to need to request a new file on Moreno. I don't know how I'm going to explain this."

"Tell them you dropped your TastyCake on it."

I smacked him on the shoulder and stood up to try to put myself back in some semblance of order. I was pretty sure my hair was a lost cause, so I yanked it back using Ranger's leather tie. It was his fault, anyway. I flounced to the door and glanced back to see Ranger looking at me with a bemused smile. I gave him a finger wave and exited, shutting the door behind me. At first glance, nobody seemed to be standing around outside his office door laughing, so I thought maybe we'd pulled it off with nobody noticing.

I hid in my cubicle the rest of the day, finishing up Rodriguez's pile of searches and completing a few of my own for a couple of low-level skips. Finally deciding it was time to head back to my apartment, where I had some leftover Pino's with my name on it, I stood up and headed to the elevator. Unfortunately I had to walk past the control room and several of the guys. As I walked by them I could swear they went silent, and I when saw Hal in the control room, he took one look at me and turned bright red. If that didn't completely tip me off, as I walked past Lester's cubicle he grinned and started what was undoubtedly some smartass remark. Hurrying by, I reached the elevator and turned around in time to see him leaning out into the hall. I flipped him off and just as the elevator doors were closing, I heard the other guys bust up. I rolled my eyes to myself and flipped off the camera in the elevator for good measure, but I had a smile on my face anyway. It was worth the teasing to give my shower massager a night off, and despite starting the day with a terrible explosion, I thought it had ended with a great one.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Janet Evanovitch owns them, I just like to take them out to play

A/N: I forgot to include this when I posted the first chapter – this story going to take a pretty dark turn for a couple chapters. I will post a warning at the top of the relevant chapters, but if you aren't comfortable with dark themes (in this case, sexual assault and battery) probably you should skip this fic.

For those of you who reviewed: THANK YOU! Nothing makes me write faster than reviews

On with it...

**Chapter Two**

_Ranger_

As Stephanie left my office, I couldn't help but shake my head. She was going to be the death of me. I loved her – in the only way I could, in the only way I would ever let myself – and she sparked something in me that nobody else had in a very long time. Our relationship, if you could call it that, was complicated, but she knew it was all I could give her. It seemed to be enough. If the past hour was any indication, at least, she seemed happy. The look on her face after, when we were just holding still, catching our breath... she looked so quietly happy. For just a moment, I thought I could loosen the iron grip I kept on my emotions – but immediately slammed that door shut. It was too dangerous, in more ways than one. Things were fine as they were. At least I'd convinced Stephanie to take my loaner car. She fought me every step of the way – she wouldn't be Steph if she didn't – but I thought we were slowly making progress concerning her security. She wouldn't let me keep a couple of my men on her, but she stopped objecting to the various trackers and panic buttons I hid everywhere I could. Hell, at this point, I was just relieved she came to work here full-time. She was good to have around. The guys trusted her, which was saying a lot from this group. She brought lightness to my carefully constructed sea of black.

Office...encounters...like this afternoon's didn't happen often, but every once in awhile Stephanie somehow crept her way through my defenses. It didn't help that she was sexy as hell in her RangeMan uniform, and my defenses were down. I was already tired, having spent the morning trying to remember how I knew Moreno. When she came around my desk to apologize (because only Stephanie could turn asking for help with a file into something she should be apologizing for) I caught the scent of my shower gel when I pulled her closer to me. She had cleaned up in my apartment after the car situation, and picturing her in my shower broke the tenuous hold I had on my self-control.

I shut down that line of thought. I had let myself be distracted enough for the day. Now was the time to focus on the Moreno file. I was convinced I had seen him before, but no matter how long I scrutinized his picture, nothing surfaced. I wasn't surprised. I'd gone on so many missions in the past few years I'd lost count. I never forgot a face – I had seen this man before, I knew it in my gut – but nothing else came to me.

I decided he wasn't a major threat. I was aware of most of my biggest enemies and Moreno wasn't anywhere on that list. He wasn't doing anything particularly hostile, just asking around about RangeMan and about me in particular. I didn't like people asking too many questions – the people who needed to know anything about my company, or me, already did. Every once in awhile something like this came up. Usually it was someone looking to start up their own security company, trying to ferret out the competition. I'd give Tank the file to keep in his stack of "persons of interest" until a lead came up or he left the area.

I called Tank into my office, and when he opened the door he had a slight smirk, which was Tank's equivalent to a giant shit-eating grin. I just watched him with my blank stare until he shook his head and sat down across from me.

"We're shelving the Moreno case for now," I told him. "Unless somebody can remember where we know him from, I don't see how to take this any further. Something's bothering me about him, but until I can figure out what, I can't spend any more time on this. We've got other issues to deal with."

Still with that little smirk, Tank said, "Steph was looking into the same case. She didn't find anything either?"

"No." I leaned back and rubbed my temples. "She couldn't find anything about him. We've got bigger issues to deal with right now." With that, Tank and I went over some client complaints, put together a bid for a potential client, and went over the schedule for the following week, since it was Friday. At one point, I heard Lester make some smartass remark and the resultant smack somebody gave him, and the guys in the control room snickered. Les liked to balance right on the line between decency and indecency, but one of these days I was going to give him a good hard shove back onto the correct side. I trusted him with my life but he had to learn when to shut his trap.

Tank's phone went off, and it must have been Lula because he nodded at me and hurried back to the privacy of his own office. I was just deciding to head down to the gym to clear my head after all the paperwork when I looked up to see Bobby leaning against my doorframe. I motioned him in and he sat down, looking at me speculatively.

"What?" I asked. I wasn't in the mood to take any shit right now. Paperwork always does this to me. I wasn't built to sit in an office all day, and I was ready to get the hell out of here.

"It's about Stephanie – " he stopped as I felt my expression darken. I don't like people getting into my business, and sometimes the guys could be worse than the Burg gossip network. This had better be good, or I knew who was replacing the punching bag for the night.

* * *

_Bobby_

"It's about Stephanie – " I stopped as Ranger's expression turned guarded, in a mildly threatening sort of way. When he wanted to, Ranger could emanate power that could overshadow even Tank's imposing presence, but I knew he was too tired to be at that point yet, and this had to be said. Most of the guys thought of Stephanie as one of us, like she was just one of the guys. A few thought of her as a close friend, but only a couple of us really noticed what had been going on with her over the past few months.

I decided to go for the blunt approach.

"What is going on with you and Stephanie? I thought once she left the cop for good, it would end this... this hesitation you seem to have about her." I didn't realize it was possible for Ranger's typical blank face to become so threatening, but apparently I was wrong. I hurried to continue before he could physically throw me out of his office. "Look, I'm not trying to pry. But I'm not sure you realize what you're doing to her. She thinks she's accepted that you can't take your relationship any further than it is. But over the past few months, I've watched her confidence start to waver. Steph has always been true to who she is, no matter what was thrown at her. I think now that the rest of her life has become more stable, she's starting to realize the pattern her relationships have taken, and I think she's starting to blame herself."

"When did you become an amateur psychologist?" Ranger said. "How do you know any of this? You just saw her this morning. She's fine. I trust her when she tells me things are fine the way they are. Are you saying she's lying?"

"No, I don't think she's lying, or at least, I don't think she is consciously lying. But you aren't there when we go to her apartment or take her out. She's quieter. She doesn't draw attention to herself. She doesn't volunteer to hang out, we have to go to her, every time. It's like she doesn't think we want her. Les and I, and a few others, we've tried to make it clear that she's always welcome, that she's one of us, but I don't think we're really getting through anymore. Ranger, you need to do something. You need to get your shit together. Do what you have to to get your head on straight, because Steph is fading, and the rest of us can only stand back and watch for so long. Eventually someone's going to want to step up and give her what you can't, and at this point, can you blame them?"

Ranger just sat and stared at me. I know I was harsh, but someone needed to say it. This morning had pushed me over the edge. Ranger and I arrived at the scene to see Stephanie sitting in the midst of the chaos, just watching the flames. Somehow in the middle of all those people, she seemed so alone. I watched her face brighten as she saw us approaching – or rather, as she saw Ranger. Then, after he walked up and she told him she was ok, he gave her a look, kissed her, and walked away. I watched her face as he left, and it hit me then. How much she had changed. I stayed and talked to her, trying to draw her out and stop her from internally blaming herself for Ranger's distance. She leaned on me and closed her eyes, and I'd had enough. I wanted to show her that there are men out there who want her, who want her close, who won't keep a safe distance. Men like me. I knew she trusted me, and I wanted to be the person who made her face light up like it did this morning.

Ranger's blank façade slipped for a moment and he looked... frankly, tired and worried. I knew he _wanted_ to be enough for Stephanie, and hell, I wanted her to be happy, even if it were with him. I knew the stress of his missions and trying to keep an eye out for old enemies was wearing him down. I think he needed Steph's light as much as she needed him. But if he couldn't let her in, he needed to let her go.

Ranger started flipping his knife open and shut in a nervous gesture. "To be honest, I wouldn't even know where to begin." I knew he was seriously considering what I was saying, because Ranger does not have nervous gestures. "I don't want to lose her to somebody else, but I want her to be happy. I thought she was. I mean, this afternoon..."

"I think this afternoon was about her trying to reconnect with you. She waited for you at the scene of the car bomb this morning. She showered in your apartment after, even though we could have just as easily taken her to her own place. She misses you, even though you're right here. I'm not sure there's anything more lonely than loving someone who only loves you enough to hold you at arms' length, but not enough to bring you in or let you go.

"Pick one, because this living in limbo is eventually going to ruin both of you, and I care too much about you and Steph to let that happen." With that, I stood up and walked out of his office. From the look on his face as I left, nobody had had the nerve to bring this up to him until now, and probably the punching bag down in the gym would have to be replaced after tonight, but at least he was thinking about it. I empathized with his issues – hell, I'd been on missions, I had enemies, as did most of the guys at RangeMan. But he needed to pull his head of his ass before he let his past claim his future.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, I just like to play with them

**Chapter Three**

_Lester_

I laughed as Bomber flipped me off on her way out.

"Hey, at least somebody around here knows how to have a good time," I remarked. Cal smacked me and Bobby just shook his head, but it drew the attention off Steph so she could make a quick getaway. As I went back to my desk I was still chuckling at how red her face turned when she realized we knew what went down this afternoon. You'd think she'd have been with RangeMan long enough to know there are no secrets in this building, especially when it comes to her. We have to keep an eye on our Bomber, now that she was one of us. I thought she'd never give up working the low-level skips for Vinnie, and she still did – only with a charged stun gun and bullets in her .38 special – as a RangeMan employee. Well, really she just realized how much better off she is here. It only took that one night for her to shake off all the guilt and expectations weighing her down and finally break free.

About a year ago, when she was still half with the cop, Ranger asked her to do a distraction for us. We had a somewhat unusual FTA and the typical strategy of instilling the fear of God into him wouldn't work. This guy thought he was better than that. I suppose nothing in his life led him to believe differently – to him we were just a bunch of thugs in black, whereas he ran a successful business, had money and power in spades, and had a circle of "friends" that included several prominent politicians. Fortunately for us, he also had a weakness for Jersey girls with attitude, which Steph had in spades.

She agreed to help us out, and that night we were in place for the takedown. We had intel that he would be at Veloce's, an upscale bar and lounge run by a contact of RangeMan's. Vince was the bartender and Bobby was also inside at a corner table keeping an eye on the room. Hal and Cal were around back, and Tank and I were set up out front, with the SUV parked in a neighboring parking lot. We were all already wired, and Ranger got Steph wired at her apartment, because like hell he would let one of us get that close. She must have looked pretty damn good because once they got in range, when we heard Ranger's voice over the transmitter he sounded a little rough. I couldn't really blame the guy. After the last couple of distractions I and a few of the other guys had had to go back to our apartments and get plowed just to get the image of what we couldn't have out of our heads.

Ranger's Turbo pulled up and I knew we were in trouble when the passenger side door opened and I saw the longest, sexiest pair of legs I'd ever seen start striding across the lot. Steph was in this black number, and I don't know where the hell she got something like that, but damn if it didn't turn her into a walking wet dream. The silk was slipping around her legs, showing a calf here, a thigh there, before hiding it all again behind the glossy black fabric. It was mesmerizing, and I couldn't tear my eyes away for fear of missing the next glance at her smooth skin. As she walked past me, Tank smacked me, but that only served to reorient my focus to her ass as her hips swayed with every step.

As she entered the lounge I shook my head, trying unsuccessfully to clear it of images of Stephanie sliding out of that dress, watching it pool at her feet as she starts walking towards me... and that's when I got another smack from Tank. Just in time. I looked around to see Ranger watching us with the strangest expression, like a combination of anger and understanding.

Not wanting to test his control much further, I turned back to the lounge and focused on the job. I could tell when she came into view of the room because I heard Bobby and Vince simultaneously mutter "Fuck!"

Smirking, I said, "Focus, guys. We're just here to do a job, and so is Bomber." I opened my mouth to continue but one look at Ranger and I decided I'd rather live to see the end of the night. I settled in to my position in the lot, knowing that tonight wasn't going to be a quick grab and go. This was going to take some finesse on Steph's part, though with her in that dress I can't imagine a man stupid enough to not follow her anywhere she crooked her little finger.

After about 45 torturous minutes of listening to Stephanie talk all sexy to Mr. FTA, we got the confirmation that they were heading out the front. Just as they reached the door, we heard a crash and a shot from inside the lounge. Steph dropped to the ground and the sleazeball decided that was a good time to get the hell out of dodge, but he unknowingly ran straight towards us. Ranger swept the guy's feet out from under him, got a knee in his back and his hands cuffed before the guy even realized he was on the ground. Ranger nodded for Tank to secure Mr. Sleazeball in the SUV and motioned for me to follow him into the building. I opened the door and he swept the entryway, telling Steph to stay in the corner she had found after she dropped to the floor. I didn't really think she'd listen to him – Steph had a knack for ignoring commands relating to her personal safety – but she just nodded and watched as we continued to the main room. Vince had come out from behind the bar and he and Bobby had a guy on the ground in cuffs next to an overturned table. Looked like he didn't go down easy, either, given the state of his nose and the odd angle his leg was making. Cal confirmed he was still at the back exit, and Hal was rounding up the rest of customers in the bar, trying to keep them calm while we waited until the police arrived. Ranger got the report from Bobby, and I went back to the entrance to take Stephanie to wait out front.

We were just standing out in the lot, arguing about a bad call in the last Rangers game, when the cops pulled up and I saw the look on Morelli's face. This was not going to be good. I knew he was probably just worried about Steph, having heard the report of gunshots, but the guy had serious temper issues. He jumped out of the squad car and started stalking towards us. I was subtly reaching for my weapon – just in case I got the chance to finally shoot the bastard – when I saw him really notice what Stephanie was wearing. His expression got even darker, and he glared at me, probably trying to tell me that I should get lost. No way in hell was I leaving him alone with Stephanie in that kind of temper, but I turned around to at least give her the illusion of privacy.

They were going through their typical argument over the safety of her job, her general competency, Morelli's latest Tums intake, and the implication that she should give in and be a Burg wife, when I heard her snap.

"ENOUGH! I'm _through_ having this argument with you, Joe! I don't know why you haven't gotten the memo, but I don't WANT to be a Burg wife. I don't want kids, I don't want to marry you, I don't want to be tied down to a safe little boring life! I'm done trying to fit myself into some mold of what you want me to be. I'm proud of who I am, and I refuse to change just to be what _you _need me to be! I know what I need, Joe, and it isn't you. It's about damn time I stop feeling guilty about who I am. We're through, Joe. Done. I don't want to be with the man who handcuffed me, I want to be with the one who set me free."

With that, she turned around and stalked toward Ranger, who had been standing in the doorway of the lounge, silently watching her with his blank face on, arms crossed. I don't know what he expected to happen, but I'm pretty sure he didn't expect her to grab him and kiss him with everything she had. His arms dropped in surprise, and then wrapped around her as he picked her up, swung her around and pressed her against the wall.

Well, shit, if that wasn't the hottest thing I've seen in I don't know how long. When Steph gets angry you can see it in her whole body, she just radiates heat, and passion, and it's all you can do not to just – anyway. I understand how Ranger was feeling but probably now wasn't the time or place for it. I cleared my throat, trying to remind him that they were still in a public place, with a fuming cop still on the scene and several of his men getting treated to an auditory account of Stephanie's enjoyment. He leaned back, kissed her again, and told her "Proud of you, Babe," before walking Steph to his Turbo and taking off with her.

Lucky bastard.

The next day Stephanie had walked into RangeMan and begun her full-time work. Between watching her in her mini-RangeMan uniform and her no-holds-barred Jersey attitude, she won over the trust of the Merry Men and simultaneously drove us all nuts. She was so confident, and happy, and _good, _I think the rest of us felt like better people just hanging around her. We were generally loners; most of us didn't have any close family or much of a life outside of our missions. It was a pretty dark, isolated way to live, dealing with so much death, and blood, and – it was easy to forget about the kindness in the world. Steph became that reminder. She was our light. I don't think she knew how much she meant to us, to me, but I knew damn sure that she was too beautiful a person to let her get hurt, and I would end anyone that tried.

I shook myself, getting back to the present. Stephanie had been amazing that night, and I realized Bobby was right. She really was changing. It was nothing huge, nothing you would notice unless you were looking closely, but she was more withdrawn. I'd have to go over there tomorrow, try to get her to talk. Over the past year we'd become friends, closer than I'd ever let anyone get, and I thought maybe she'd tell me what was going on.

In the meantime, I decided to head down to the gym. I needed to try to run off the memories of Beautiful in that dress.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I wish.

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. I kept sitting down meaning to write, and then I'd get all caught up in another story and before I know it it's 3 in the morning. I have no self-control, what can I say :D

I promise there will be action in this story, and soon. It won't always be so introspective. I just wanted to sort of give an image of where everybody's head is at at this point, before I throw a massive wrench in their lives.

To everybody who reviewed - thank you SO MUCH! I'm telling you, you have on idea how awesome you guys are. To those who didn't review - I'm just telling you now, they make me write faster ;)

If you ask me a specific question or something in a comment I will try to get back to you ASAP. If you asked something and I never responded, send me a PM, I'm not the most organized person in the world so I miss things, but I do try :)

**Chapter Four**

_Ranger_

After Bobby walked out, I just sat and stared at the wall, trying to wrap my head around it. I hadn't noticed any changes in Steph, but then, maybe I wasn't letting myself see them. And Steph was always there when I needed her. Always. It was like she was trying to give me any part of her I would take, but I was stupid not to realize that it came with a cost to her. I'd always told her there was no price for what we do for each other, but maybe that wasn't true. Maybe there was a price for Steph. Maybe the price was a piece-by-piece crumbling of her confidence, her heart, her light. Shit! How blind was I not to have seen this? Abruptly I pounded my desk, cursing. I had to figure out a way to make this right. But I wasn't sure if I could. If Bobby was right, I needed to let her go, let her be with someone who could give her what she needed. But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I felt myself turn cold. I couldn't let her go. It was simply not going to happen. I was more alive than I had been in years, and I knew that was because of Steph. That left the only other option. Letting her in. Letting her be a part of my life that was more than just providing cars, a job, and a safe place to hide.

I could let her in. I'd told her, though – the batcave is forever. I knew that once I let her in I'd never be able to let her go. And I had enemies. I had enemies with major resources at their disposal. Enemies who would exploit any weakness I showed, and letting myself care too much about Stephanie would definitely be a weakness. Of course that implied that I didn't currently care enough about her to try to protect her, and anybody who knew me already knew that her safety was one of my top priorities. So that weakness was there no matter what. Maybe if I talked to her more, told her more about my past, she would understand the threat and be more cautious, more aware of the dangers around her. There were dangers for both of us, though. What if I finally gave Steph what she needed, and then something happened to me? I'd come close to death on several missions. Sometimes my enemies followed me home. There was always someone looking to take me out – for revenge, for money, for power. Even if I officially retired from my government service, I would continue to be a target to these people. How could I do that to Steph? How could I hurt her like that?

But then wasn't that her choice to make? She knew there was danger associated with my life. And if there was anything Stephanie hated, it was somebody trying to control her or take away her choices. I couldn't do that to her. I wouldn't be just another person in her life trying to control her. Shit. I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to relinquish control. Every aspect of my life has been controlled in some way since I first joined the Army. If you had control over a situation, you could control the outcome. Ever since the day I met Steph, though, all that careful control started to slip through my fingers. What if I loosened the grip I had on my life, and things went wrong? What then? And Steph – she flew by the seat of her pants, all the way, and when she was a bounty hunter, she still always got her man, even if she needed a little help from me. Stephanie thought I was her personal Batman. To her, I was a hero, and I wanted nothing more than to live up to her image of me. It had been so long since anybody had thought of me as something other than a pawn to be used or a threat to be taken out. If I told her everything I'd done...everything from my past... would she still think of me that way? I don't know if I could handle it if she didn't, if she stopped seeing me as her hero. Because if I'm not the hero, then that leaves – the villain? Steph had enough of those. I don't know what I truly am – I believe in what I do, but would a truly good person be able to do it with such cold efficiency? Didn't that make me villainous?

I let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed my temples. I hadn't planned on examining the philosophy of good and evil tonight, and it was giving me a headache. Stephanie would see what she would see, and I'd have to deal with it, but the least I could do was give her the choice. If nothing else, she would respect me for that. I gave up trying to work and headed down to the gym to blow off some steam. I was going to get on a treadmill and run until I couldn't think of anything except putting one foot in front of the other.

_Lester_

I walked in the gym to see Ranger on the treadmill, drenched in sweat, with a blank look on his face as he ran at what would be a sprinting pace for normal people. The man was definitely running from something.

Deciding there was no way in hell I was getting near that, I went over to the weights and started my lifting routine. Tank was in there and we spotted for each other while I flicked him shit about Lula. He gave as good as he got, though, ragging on me about the woman I had taken home the weekend before. Something had been bugging me about her until I realized today that I'd slept with her before and forgotten about it.

"So basically," Tank started, with a slightly evil-looking grin, "you've slept with all the women in Trenton and you're circling around again? Man, you're gonna have to start looking in New York, you want to meet someone new." I just punched him and turned to finish up.

"You're just jealous that I have variety in my life!" I laughed. Things went on like that awhile longer until I turned and noticed Ranger watching us with a strangely guarded expression. Hell. I knew Bobby was going to talk to him today about Steph, I might as well go see how it went. Ranger wasn't the sharing and caring type, but we'd decided enough was enough and if Bobby hadn't managed to yank Ranger's head out of his ass, I should give it a go. He had just run 10 miles at an impossible pace, probably I could beat him out the door if I needed to make a break for it.

As I walked up to Ranger, he gave me a strange look, like he was evaluating me or something. I had to stop myself from shaking my head. I'd served with him, and he was one of the best Special Forces guys out there, but sometimes he could be pretty fucking dense. The man was as good a sniper as Ram, but he couldn't see what was right in front of him.

I just stood there looking at him, waiting for him to speak. I knew he'd spent the rest of his day locked in his office after Stephanie left, and now I needed to know if I was going to spend tomorrow picking up the pieces after he broke her heart, or getting wasted alone because he had one of the best women out there. I'd never admit to this, but the endless stream of one night stands was getting old. I hadn't realized it until Steph showed up and flipped RangeMan upside down. I could see the change in the rest of the guys too. She was incredible, and if Ranger couldn't handle that, I wasn't stupid enough to let her slip away.

"I'm going to talk to Steph on Monday," Ranger said. OK? That told me nothing. Where was that ESP Steph claimed we all had?

"And?"

"And nothing, Santos. That's between Stephanie and me. I'm letting you know so you are aware that it is not open season, nor will it be in the foreseeable future. I know you're going to her place tomorrow. Don't cross the line," he practically growled. I tried somewhat successfully to suppress my grin. In Ranger-speak, he'd realized he was being a jackass.

"What about your contract?" I asked. He let out a barely-perceptible sigh and I saw his jaw clench.

"We'll figure that out in a few months when it comes up. At this point I don't know what I'm going to do. I imagine Stephanie will have some opinions about it." This time I couldn't hide my amusement.

"That's the understatement of the year, boss. Good luck." With that, I walked off to go back to my apartment, shower, and go down to the gun range. I had some aggression I needed to work off before I headed out to find some company for the night. Old habits die hard, what can I say.

* * *

_Lester_

The next morning, I woke up in someone else's bed, naked and strongly in need of some hair of the dog. I rolled over and saw a mass of curly brown hair. Fuck! I ran my hands over my face, not sure I was seeing straight. Looking again, I vaguely recognized the woman from the nightclub I frequent. Oh thank fuck, I get to live another day.

I tried for a minute to remember who the woman was, but no name came to mind, so I slipped out of bed, gathering my clothes and dressing in her living room, making sure I still had my wallet, keys, and weapon. I crept out the front door as quickly as I could without making the pounding in my head any worse. As I was shutting it behind me I realized I had no idea how we'd gotten here last night, but I knew I wasn't stupid enough to drive drunk, so I didn't have a car. I thought I vaguely remembered a cab, but didn't get much more than a flash of me and Mystery Girl stumbling out of a cab at her curb. Mentally groaning at the thought of having to call someone for a ride, I turned back around, only to see my truck parked at the curb a couple buildings down. What the hell?

When I walked up to the truck I saw a note stuck under the windshield wiper: "Thought you might need this. – B." I rolled my eyes to myself as I got in and pulled away, setting the GPS to head to Steph's since I had no clue where I was. Bobby. Christ. He's always the responsible one. Truthfully I was grateful, he'd saved me a month's worth of catching shit from the guys, but I knew I'd pay for the favor somehow.

Discovering I was only about 20 minutes away from Steph's place, I shut off the GPS and headed to the nearest McD's to pick up The Cure. Probably Steph didn't need it this morning but I sure the hell did, and she was never one to turn down free fries and Coke. Parking in her lot, I watched her windows for any sign of movement. None. Good, she was still asleep. I knew it pissed her off that we could all get into her apartment without keys, but it was worth the lecture just to watch her work herself into a huff. I picked her locks and crept silently into her apartment, grinning as I went. It occurred to me that I'd started the day sneaking out of a woman's apartment only to be sneaking into a different one half an hour later, and probably there was a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I was still too hungover to care. I paused in her kitchen as I was putting down the breakfast grease, thinking I'd heard something. A low moan came from the bedroom – shit! If Ranger came here last night instead of waiting, and he found me sneaking in after specifically warning me about crossing the line – I was SO wrong about my earlier relief of getting to live another day.

I heard sheets rustling and something that sounded like "please..." and decided now was a good time to get the hell out before I got dead. Just as I turned to leave it struck me that Ranger couldn't be in there, he was in Miami doing a takedown and wasn't expected back until Monday afternoon. Steph moaned again and I realized she must have been having an _interesting_ dream. I leaned against the kitchen counter, grinning to myself and wondering how long I should let this continue. Wouldn't want to interrupt what sounded like a great start to the day, now would I?

A few minutes later, my jeans were acutely uncomfortable and I trying to decide between waking Steph up or just coming back later, when I heard her let out a long sigh. I was busily wishing I could make her sigh like that when I thought it sounded like she was getting up. She opened the door in boxers and a tank top, grumbling to herself about something.

"Sweet dreams?" I asked, laughing when she jumped about a foot.

"LESTER SANTOS! You scared the shit out of me! I know for a fact I locked my door last night. You could knock, you could ring the freaking doorbell, you could call, but no, you all just break in whenever you damn well – " and she stopped abruptly as my greeting sunk in. Her face turn bright red and her voice got all squeaky when she asked how long I'd been here and how much I'd heard. This right here was why I snuck in. Steph was just so easy to get a rise out of, and with her crazy hair and ranting and flapping around in her skimpy version of pajamas, it was all I could do not to throw her back on her bed and show her exactly how sexy she was.

"Relax, Beautiful. I just got here a few minutes ago... and I brought breakfast," I bribed, avoiding her second question. When her eyes landed on the bags of fast food decided I was a decent person after all and let me off the hook.

After we sat and decimated our temples with grease and salt and Coke, she leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Not that I'm not totally grateful for the free breakfast and all, but why'd you really come, Les?"

I had my arm around her and ran my fingers up and down her arm, thinking that this must be what peace felt like.

"I just wanted to check on you after yesterday at the office. You left so quickly I didn't have a chance to ask you then."

She rolled her eyes at me, but she was smiling so I knew my prying hadn't pissed her off yet.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you really? Because lately you've been different. We've noticed. I know you know about Ranger's...commitment issues. But are you sure you can still handle it? Are you sure this is what will make you happy?"

"I'm fine, really. Ranger made it perfectly clear at the beginning that this is all we can have, and at this point I will take anything he can give me."

"But what about you, Steph? What about what you need?"

"What about what I need?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and just shook my head. This was so typical Steph, she was so concerned about Ranger she wasn't stopping to consider how it was affecting her.

"I just wanted to make sure you haven't forgotten about yourself. We care about you, all the guys do, and we'd hate to see anything change who you are. You're beautiful, Beautiful." I smiled at her and that lightened the mood a little. "I just wanted to let you know we're here if you need us. For watching games, grabbing lunch, sparring...having some _fun_..." and I waggled my eyebrows at her. She laughed and punched me, so of course I had to wrestle her down to the ground, to let her know who was boss around here. If that meant I had a convenient excuse to be pressed against her, oh well. What can a guy do?

We were both laughing as we hit the floor, and she was squirming around trying to escape. Somehow she ended up underneath me and when I looked down at her, I felt my laughter die away. I knew I was precariously close to the line Ranger had drawn, and at this particular moment I didn't give a shit. Looking down at her like this, I could just imagine it, my brain was flooding with images of her beneath me for a different reason, and this morning provided the soundtrack. She must have felt the change in the mood as well because she was looking at me all wide-eyed and innocent. Shit, that wasn't helping at all. I had to get off her before it was painfully obvious that I had it bad.

I leaned down and kissed her nose before hauling myself up, turning away to adjust without it being too noticeable what I was doing. She smiled at the kiss and took the hand I offered her. When she stood she hugged me – which really wasn't helping, but I couldn't stop myself from putting my arms around her.

"Thanks, Les," she said. "I'm glad you guys have my back, but I'm doing ok. Really. I promise I'll let you know if that changes. Right now, though, I need to go get cleaned up. I promised Connie and Lula I'd bring them lunch and pick up my new stack of skips. Thanks for breakfast, I think it was exactly what I needed this morning." And she gave me a peck on the cheek.

"Anytime, Beautiful," I told her, and headed out.

Shit. Now I knew what Ranger was running from. If I let myself, I could fall hard, and there would be no turning back. Who was I kidding; I was halfway there already. But right now she needed her friends, so that's what I would be, as long as she would let me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I wish.

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy :) The next one won't be for another few days probably, because I need to put some serious work in on my resume. Unfortunately nobody pays me for this and I need a job. Anyway, on with the show...

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_Stephanie_

Ranger's hands were on my back, holding me against him. He reached under my shirt; his fingertips brushed my bare skin, leaving behind a tingling path of heat. He was gazing at me, his eyes dark with need. I leaned against his chest and brushed my lips against his and let out a soft sigh. His eyes shut and he whispered my name as his arms pulled me closer, and I felt his arousal against my hip. I pulled him down to his bed with me, lying back as I felt him pressing against my center. My hands skimmed his chest, reaching down to pull his shirt off. He stopped me, pulling his own shirt off and standing to drop his cargoes. I caught a glance at that amazing expanse of caramel skin before he was on top of me again, pulling my shirt off and whispering Spanish in my ear as I felt my bra come off. He was kissing down my neck, my chest, my stomach as he pulled off my pants and lace panties, leaving nothing left between his lips and my skin. His touch was so light, caressing my skin and leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I pulled him back up to me, giving him a searing kiss, and he again moaned my name as I shifted, feeling the tip of his hard length pressing against me. I raised my hips and gasped as he filled me. His hands were in my hair, then skimming down my body as he moved with me. All I could smell, taste, feel, was Ranger, surrounding me until he was all I knew. I wrapped my legs around his waist and with the new angle he stilled, both of us breathing hard as he tried to retain control. Ranger, please, I breathed, feeling his heat and knowing I needed more, more... as much as he would give me... he thrust against me, pulling out as far as he could before slamming back into me. Ranger! I cried as the pace became frantic, each of us getting so close... so close... I heard him yell my name as we both fell over the edge into sweet oblivion.

Calming now, with my eyes shut, feeling his body against mine, we lay still. Stephanie, I love you... he whispered, and my eyes flew open in surprise.

When my eyes opened I realized I was in my bedroom, in my own bed, alone. Of course it was a dream. I let out a long sigh, feeling the effects of my dream and wishing reality were the reason, not my unconscious imagination. But it wasn't real, and I needed to get my head on straight. Ranger's life "didn't lend itself to relationships" and I'd accepted that. I swung my legs off the bed, getting up to go get cleaned up and ready for the day, even though all I wanted to do was shut my eyes and be back in Ranger's arms. I made my way to the kitchen, grumbling about how my unconscious really needed to get the memo before I spontaneously combusted in my sleep, when I looked up to see Lester leaning against my kitchen counter, a strangely pained-looking smile on his face. I shrieked and jumped about a mile.

"Sweet dreams?" he asked. I couldn't believe him! All these men, just breaking in whenever they feel like it, it's ridiculous!

"LESTER SANTOS! You scared the shit out of me! I know for a fact I locked my door last night. You could knock, you could ring the freaking doorbell, you could call, but no, you all just break in whenever you damn well – " and I abruptly stopped my ranting as I realized that not ten minutes before I was in the midst of a _very_ vivid fantasy, and I'm not generally known for my ability to be quiet. Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. What if he heard? How loud had I been? How long had he been here? How much had he heard?

I must have asked the last two questions out loud, because Lester's smile widened with amusement.

"Relax, Beautiful. I just got here a few minutes ago... and I brought breakfast," he said. I looked around and noticed the food sitting on the counter. Deciding free food was more important than continuing to lecture Les, we brought the food to the couch to eat. We ate and talked about nothing in particular until, finishing my last fry with relish, I had to ask what I'd been wondering about for the last half hour.

"Not that I'm not totally grateful for the free breakfast and all, but why'd you really come, Les?" His arm was around me and I could feel his fingers tracing up and down my arm. I was resting my head on his shoulder, and thought that I had amazing friends, and that I could probably sit like this forever.

"I just wanted to check on you after yesterday at the office. You left so quickly I didn't have a chance to ask you then."

I rolled my eyes. I knew he wouldn't have come over just to ask if I was OK, he could do that by phone. Still, it was nice that he had come, so I couldn't get too mad about his prying.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing."

He looked at me with this look – like he didn't believe me even a little bit.

"Do you really? Because lately you've been different. The guys and I, we've noticed. I know you know about Ranger's...commitment issues. But are you sure you can still handle it? Are you sure this is what will make you happy?"

I was glad I had friends that cared about me. But I'd thought all this through already, and decided that it was worth it to have this little piece of Ranger. And really, anything was better than the rollercoaster I'd been on with Joe for so long I'd forgotten what it felt like to be on solid ground. Ranger was my rock. He was always there, to help me or comfort me or tell me he was proud. Sure, I wished he would give a little, open up a bit more, let me into his life, but he'd told me up front how it was and I decided something was definitely better than nothing.

"I'm fine, really. Ranger made it perfectly clear at the beginning that this is all we can have, and at this point I will take anything he can give me."

He still had that worried, disbelieving look on his face.

"But what about you, Steph? What about what you need?"

Huh? Hadn't I just explained that I was fine? I didn't want to push Ranger beyond what he was capable of, and I didn't need anything more. I was sure of it. Mostly.

"What about what I need?"

Les let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I just wanted to make sure you haven't forgotten about yourself. We care about you, all the guys do, and we'd hate to see anything change who you are. You're beautiful, Beautiful." He smiled at me and I felt my heart lighten a little. He was sweet to care so much. "I just wanted to let you know we're here if you need us. For watching games, grabbing lunch, sparring...having some _fun_..." and he waggled his eyebrows at me. Of _course_ he would turn this into a sexual innuendo. Les could only handle sweet for so long, but I let him end the serious side of the conversation, knowing there was nothing more I could say to convince him that I was okay. Laughing at his eyebrows, I gave him a punch, which started a wrestling match that ended with us both falling off the couch. Les pretty much had me pinned, but I don't give up easily, so I started to wiggle around, trying to loosen his grip so I could make my escape. Lester's laughter suddenly stopped and I looked up to see what was wrong. He was looking at me... sort of wishfully. Did he... what was going on? What did I miss?

Lester's normal, playful grin snapped back into place and he kissed my nose before getting up, fixing his clothes, and offering me a hand. I smiled at the kiss and stood, taking his hand. It really was thoughtful of him to stop by, and on impulse I hugged him. I don't know what I'd do without Les and the rest of my Merry Men. They all cared about me so much, more than I could have ever hoped. I'd have to make more of an effort to get together with them. I'd been slacking off lately, not wanting to bug anybody who didn't want me around, but Les's visit reminded me that they really cared, and I missed my friends.

"Thanks, Les," I said before I could start tearing up. "I'm glad you guys have my back, but I'm doing ok. Really. I promise I'll let you know if that changes. Right now, though, I need to go get cleaned up. I promised Connie and Lula I'd bring them lunch and pick up my new stack of skips. Thanks for breakfast, I think it was exactly what I needed this morning." And I pecked him on the cheek for good measure.

"Anytime, Beautiful," he said, and turned to head out. I shut the door behind him and leaned against it, my thoughts running a mile a minute, thinking of Ranger and our weird non-relationship relationship and the guys and how all of this called for new shoes. So instead of sitting down to figure out what was going on in my head I grabbed my purse and headed to the bonds office, thinking I'd pick up my files for next week and get Lula to go on a therapeutic shopping trip with me.

I pulled in after stopping by the Tasty Pastry. I thought donuts would cheer up Lula and Connie, who were stuck in the office with Vinnie while I worked in a building full of giant, muscular men in tight t-shirts. I'll take my office over theirs any day, but I still had sympathy for them. Vinnie was such a worm.

I walked in holding the donut box and Lula snatched it up before I could say boo.

"Woo, thank the Lord! You have no idea how much I need this today. Me and Tankie tried this new trick I read about in Cosmo and I damn near wore myself out. I'm just not built to hold my legs that way, you know?"

I had to laugh at the look that would appear on Tank's face if he ever heard Lula call him 'Tankie', but quickly derailed her. I didn't need to hear this.

"Lula! I don't want to know! Just eat the donuts. I'm in a hurry, I need to go shopping and I promised Mom I'd be at dinner tonight." Lula nodded, her mouth full of Boston Crème, and I offered the box to Connie. She took one – carefully, since she had just painted her nails – and smiled at me.

"Hey, Steph, how's life? You tell Ranger yet what an idiot he's being?" Seriously! What is with people lately? Can't a girl have a little fun without being cross-examined? I just rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm fine. No, I didn't tell Ranger he's being an idiot. Why would I? He's allowed to want what he wants, and there's nothing wrong with having a little fun, no strings attached."

Connie just snorted in disbelief.

"Well, maybe there aren't strings for him, but there are strings for you. Definite strings."

Lula nodded along.

"Girl, you don't just got strings, you got whole ropes. You in love with that man, and you know it. Just cause you don't want to see it don't mean it's not true," she said as she gave me a look that was just screaming 'duh, you know this'.

"Not that we blame you for taking what you can get," Connie added. "That man is fine. He looks at me and I swear I get a hot flash," she said, fanning herself. I had to smile. She was right, he was all dark smoldering heat wrapped up in a muscle-bound Cuban package. Mmm. I had to fan myself too as an image from this morning's dream flashed through my head.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, after the fiasco that was Morelli, I'm just enjoying myself a little." I grinned as Lula and Connie both gave me a look. "OK, a lot. But he's my best friend. I don't want to ruin what we have by pushing for more. And," I said sharply, looking at Lula, "I am NOT in love with him." Even as the words came out of my mouth I knew they weren't true. But it didn't matter either way. I couldn't have _that _rumor getting back to Ranger. I liked my life the way it was. I finally had my rent paid in full, my credit cards paid off, friends, a steady job that kept Rex in fresh wood shavings, and skip tracing on the side to keep things interesting.

"So you want to go shopping with me or what?" I asked Lula. She nodded and we headed out to her Firebird, since I didn't want to put Ranger's car at any more risk than it was already in with me driving it around town. Taking it to the mall just seemed like asking for something to happen to it.

We wandered around the mall for a few hours. Lula walked out with an armload of bags, but I just had two. I'd found a gorgeous dress at Macy's, and bought matching shoes. I had no idea what I was going to do with the dress, because it wasn't slutty enough for a distraction and too nice to wear during the day, but it was perfect on me and I had to have it.

Lula took me back to the bonds office and asked me when I'd see her again. I didn't go to the bonds office nearly as often now that I was busy at RangeMan, but I told her I'd call her tomorrow and we could make plans for next weekend. I dropped the dress and shoes off at my apartment and gave Rex a grape and a carrot before heading to my parents' house for dinner. Hey, I might not be able to control myself around good food, but I won't have Rex eating anything but the healthiest hamster food money can buy.

Dinner went smoothly enough, after Mom was forced to stop her ranting about my latest vehicle mishap to set the table. Dad was quiet as usual and Grandma was going on about how lucky I was to work in a building full of young hotties like that nice Cuban one I'd brought home awhile ago. She said that Edna Vance's granddaughter never brought home any hot young men, which got a grin from me but had Mom glancing at the cabinet where she kept the liquor. Mom asked me to stop by for Sunday lunch tomorrow, but I told her I was going to spend the day in my apartment. I had to do some research on my new skips, but I'd be by sometime during the week. That placated her and I hugged her and kissed Daddy on the cheek before I jumped in the loaner – mmm, new car smell, nothing better, except maybe Bulgari shower gel – and went home.

I showered and crawled into bed, hoping that I could fall back into the dream I'd woken from this morning. Hmm... Ranger's arms around me... his scent in the air... him whispering he loved me in my ear – my eyes flew open again. Damn. This wasn't going to work. I huffed, and flopped over, surrendering myself to a night of fitful sleep. About two in the morning I woke up, thinking I'd heard something. Maybe Rex was on his wheel? No, it was silent. Maybe Ranger had broken in again to watch me sleep. I thought he'd quit doing that after I broke up with Joe, but maybe not. Leaning up on an elbow I squinted at the corner of my room, thinking I'd seen a shadow.

"Ranger?" I asked, feeling stupid for talking to my empty apartment. But then I heard movement and before I could react, everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**Warning: Really this is true for the whole fic, but I thought I should add it here before I forget. LANGUAGE WARNING. This fic is rated M for a reason. The guys are all military, working in a primarily male environment. They curse. A lot. It's just how it is.**

**A/N: Yay, my resume is finished and I'm taking a much needed break from the job hunt. Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy the new chapter :) **

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_Ranger_

Monday morning came too damn soon. I'd resolved to talk to Steph today, after the core team and I completed a takedown scheduled for this morning, and I wasn't entirely certain how she'd take it. I'd spent all day Sunday trying to work off my uncertainty and frustration in the gym, and it hadn't done a damn bit of good. Telling myself to get the hell over it, I walked into the conference room on three, meeting Bobby, Les, and Tank there. We quickly reviewed our intel and started to suit up. The target, Anthony De Luca, was the same FTA from Stephanie's distraction job a year ago. The job that ultimately brought her to RangeMan full-time. My babe was in her element that night. She was confident, sexy, and full of spark. The way she moved in that dress, all black clinging silk and flashes of skin, just about did me in. Not to mention the guys. I thought I was going to have to rearrange Lester's face to stop all the drooling.

I shook my head and finished strapping on gear, telling myself to focus. I wanted this morning to go smoothly. Something was off about De Luca. He'd used his contacts to shorten his prison stay, getting paroled after only a few months. This dumbass had fulfilled his sentence, gotten himself arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, used his connections to get released on $500,000 bail, and subsequently failed to appear to his preliminary hearing. I took a personal interest because he had been seen on Stark with Carlos Moreno, the guy Steph had been unsuccessfully looking into. He must have had good reason to see Moreno because De Luca was not the Stark Street type. He was too white collar.

The guys were set to go, so we headed down to the waiting SUVs. We had a reliable informant who warned us of the meeting between Moreno and De Luca set for 0900 in a rundown house near the docks. It wasn't the most ideal location for a takedown – too many unknowns – but this was the best lead we had on him and I wanted him in a holding cell spilling his guts about Moreno by 1300. I had shit to do that didn't involve dealing with scum like him.

Our team arrived at the house early enough to get in position and wait until the target was identified. We all melted into the scenery and settled in to wait for De Luca to show. An hour later, Bobby warned us of an approaching vehicle, confirming De Luca as the driver. He was early, but we were ready. I was in position, blending into the shadows next to the front porch, with Lester on my six and Tank ready to cover the other side of the house. Bobby was across the street, effectively closing off the last possible escape route. Hopefully this guy remembered the last time we took him down and didn't try to run for it. At least he likely wouldn't be armed. I really wasn't in the mood to get shot today. Stephanie would have a fit.

As our target got out of his car and approached the house, I gave the order, and as one we converged on De Luca. I saw his eyes widen as he took in the situation, but we didn't give him time to react before I took him down to the ground, cuffing him and informing him of his missed court date. Tank hauled him toward the SUV and I reminded him I wanted De Luca waiting for me at Haywood before we took him to the police station.

The rest of us took the other SUV and headed back to debrief. I was looking forward to getting it out of the way so I could invite Steph up to seven for lunch, and if things went as planned, I wasn't intending on leaving the apartment until tomorrow. My blank face must have been slipping because Les kept glancing at me looking worried. I guess it's been awhile since he's seen me smile. I pulled myself together and glared at him; strangely, this seemed to comfort him and he went back to pestering Bobby about something to do with his truck and the club they went to Friday night.

We went straight to the conference room on three and waited for Tank before getting on with the debriefing. We all hated this part but it was mercifully short since the takedown went smoothly. I sent the guys back up to five and headed down to the holding cells to have a discussion with De Luca. He made a show of not talking, but I knew his type. I knew I would walk out with everything he knew, and he would walk out – or be carried out – with puddles in his shoes.

I walked in to see De Luca in the corner, leaning against the wall, looking only slightly worse for wear. Good. We didn't want to turn this guy over with any outward appearance of having been held and questioned. It caused too much paperwork. I stood over him with my arms crossed and my expression blank. I waited patiently and watched his tough guy face fall apart as he began to fidget, eyes darting around, trying not to look at me. When I had him convinced he was thoroughly under my control, I started talking.

"Who is Moreno?" I asked.

"I don't know... I don't know!" he repeated when he saw my expression darken. "He showed up one day asking if I could get him a boat, get him through customs without too many questions. He knew who I was, what I'd done, he knew everything, man!"

"Why you?"

"He knew I had it out for RangeMan after last year. I had a friend in the lounge who recognized your guys, he got a shot off but got himself arrested too. Moreno said he understood, he said he was going to take care of you but he needed to have his escape ready, because he wasn't – he said he wasn't going to let you finish what you started. He said you were good but he would be better. He told me who you were. Ranger," he sneered, "the mysterious asshole who rules the streets." He must have found his balls sometime in the last five minutes. I did what I could to make him lose them again. I took out my knife, flipping it open as I leaned down, crowding De Luca. I trailed the knifepoint lightly over his face, stopping at an eye, like I was considering that with a flick of my wrist, I could gouge it out.

My voice lowered, and I asked,

"The boat?"

He kept his other eye almost crossed to watch the knife and his voice rose an octave as he replied.

"I got it for him, he had money, I had to, after that shit from last year and the fucking cops nailing me for conspiracy, I needed the money, I was going to get the hell out tonight, after he handed over the cash and I told him where the boat was and who to talk to about getting out of the country. We were supposed to meet one more time at noon, shit, he's going to kill me, I'll never make it there in time and I swear he'll find me, I gotta go meet him..." He started to babble, and I wasn't quite done, so I regained his focus by sliding my knife from his eye down to his throat, all the while looking him in the eye.

"Where?"

"His house, that house I was at this morning. He said it has to be there because he's got some girl and he can't leave until he finishes her..." My heart stopped. Fuck.

I threw him back against the wall, and before he could slide down to the floor I grabbed his throat and held him up. Gripping his throat, I leaned in, and quietly, trying to restrain every deadly instinct I had, I spoke. "What. Girl."

He whimpered and that's when his bladder let go. I squeezed his throat to remind him of his priorities, and he croaked out, "the girl, the girl he has, he said something about Ranger's bomb, or bomber, or some shit, look, I just wanted the money, I didn't have anything to do with any girl, I was just trying to get out before..." As he rambled I realized he'd told me everything useful, so I tossed him aside and stalked out of the cell, slamming the door behind me. Turning to the stairs, I ran up to five, ready to grab my team and head out. I wasn't positive it was Stephanie, but my gut told me it was. The fact that we had no idea who Moreno really was or what he wanted was eating at me. Unknowns are always, _always _bad. The fact that Moreno hadn't contacted me himself with a list of demands was that much worse. It meant that Stephanie wasn't bait to try to get to me.

It meant she was his end goal.

Just as I threw open the door to five, my phone went off. It was a mass text, set up if one of Stephanie's panic buttons were pushed, sending out her coordinates. FUCK! Finally I lost my grip on my control and grabbed the nearest thing to me and threw it against the wall, not hearing the resultant crash. The floor was silent, every man with his phone out but staring at me.

"Tank, Bobby, Lester! Gear up, NOW. Dickhead in the cell says Stephanie's at the house, her panic button coordinates confirm. Cal, I want you and the rest of team two to secure the perimeter. We don't know what the fuck this guy wants but he's not going to live long enough to tell us. Everyone downstairs in five minutes. Now MOVE!" I ordered, and with that my teams hauled ass. Everybody was in their protective gear and fully armed with time to spare. We loaded into our vehicles and took off. It was dead silent, every man focusing on the goal and decidedly avoiding thinking of the possibilities. My hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were white. My jaw was clenched. I had the tightest grip on my control I could manage. We arrived at the house – god, we were just here this morning, I can't believe we were so fucking close – no, don't think of that – FOCUS, damn it! I sent Cal's team out to get in position. At his nod, the core team and I made our way silently to the door, not wanting to give Moreno any warning of our arrival, if the earlier takedown on his front lawn hadn't already spooked him. On my count, Tank kicked in the door and I entered with my weapon drawn, clearing the foyer. I motioned for Tank and Bobby to go left, and Lester and I headed right. We cleared the rooms one by one, making our way through the house. Meeting with Tank and Bobby in the kitchen in the back of the house, I saw a door that likely led to a basement and tried to open it. Locked. Fuck! I went to work picking the lock, trying not to think of what we would find in the basement. If she would still be alive... no. She would still be alive. She had to be. She always pulled through. I paused, closing my eyes to refocus. The lock clicked open and I crept down the stairs, Les following, leaving Bobby and Tank to guard the basement door. The basement was chilled and damp, and unnervingly quiet. I began to methodically clear the room when I heard the most beautiful sound.

"Ranger?" Stephanie's voice was a harsh whisper emerging from a shadowed corner.

"Babe." It was the only thing I could think of to say. I completely disregarded procedure and ran to her corner, finding her there wearing what she usually slept in – one of my shirts. I ran my hands over her, her face, her hair, her arms, down her legs, making sure she was really there, really whole, still breathing. My Stephanie. I picked her up and held her to my chest, feeling her shivering, only thinking thank god, thank god, she's alive, thank you God. Over and over. I was whispering Spanish in her ear, all the words of love I wanted to say and should have been saying to her for years now. Mi corazón, mi luz, mi vida, mi amor, thank god, thank god.

Stephanie was alive, and now my heart could beat again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**A/N: Sorry for any glaring mistakes, I edited this at three in the morning, which probably wasn't the best plan, but I wanted to get it posted. I appreciate every single review :) I swear when I get an email notification about a new review I do a little internal happy dance. **

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_Ranger_

Lester must have gone to get Bobby, because before I could pull myself together, he pounded down the stairs. I saw the brief look of concern pass over his face before he wiped his face of worry and knelt down next to where I was on the ground, holding Stephanie. Tears were still running down her face, and she was still trembling. Bobby started asking her about any injuries, but she wasn't really responding until he let out a sigh and looked at me, suggesting we bring her to the ER because he was worried about her lack of response. That finally caught her attention.

"NO!" She yelled. "No hospital. No ER. I'm fine. Really. Just take me back to Haywood. Please? I need... I need to be somewhere familiar. Please, Bobby."

"If I let you come back to Haywood instead of the ER, you're going to have to let me check a few things here first." Stephanie slowly nodded, so Bobby checked her pulse, and started asking her questions.

"Were you hit on the head? Drugged?"

"My head is fine. I think he drugged me... things are a little hazy."  
"Do you know what day it is?"  
"Sunday?" Stephanie asked, looking at me for confirmation. I felt my jaw tighten and glanced at Bobby before I looked back to Steph and told her, "No, Babe. Today's Monday." She paled and looked at Bobby with wide eyes.

"Shit, sorry, Bobby. He must have drugged me. I don't remember being gone that long. But I feel fine, really, just get me the hell out of here." Bobby gave her a long look, and finally nodded. Les let us know that while we were busy with Steph, the guys had called all clear, so we were safe to leave. I stopped at the top of the stairs just long enough to order Tank to take the guys and search the area for this dickhead. He nodded and Les, Bobby and I headed out and loaded into the SUV, with Les driving and Bobby in the back keeping an eye on Steph, whom I had yet to let go of. She was curled in my lap and still hadn't stopped shivering, although as soon as we'd gotten out of the house it had lessened considerably.

"Cold, Babe?" I asked. She just nodded, keeping her eyes shut. I wanted to start asking her what happened, if she knew who he was, what he wanted, but I didn't want to overwhelm her. There would be time for that later. What mattered now was getting her back to RangeMan and keeping her safe from this current lunatic, whoever the hell he was. Just as I was opening my mouth to tell Les to crank up the heater, my phone started ringing. When I saw the number on the screen, I felt myself tense up.

"Shit," I muttered. What I really wanted to do was throw the damn phone out the window, but when duty calls I have to answer. No matter what fucking crisis I'm in the middle of. These assholes couldn't have waited a few days, could they. I flipped open my phone, trying to get a grip on myself before I chewed out some random suit.

"What!"

"Something came up. No team this time, just you. Your pickup is scheduled for 1800. You'll be briefed on the way to your drop point." The voice on the phone was brisk, no bullshit, clearly expecting nothing but compliance.

"Hooah." I replied darkly, and hung up. Fuck. That was only a few hours from now. I looked over at Bobby, who nodded in understanding. At least we'd gotten Steph back, and I trusted my team to find and take out Moreno. I couldn't imagine going into god-knows-where with Stephanie still missing. She was safe now, she was fine. She seemed basically unharmed, and I could get my head in the game.

We pulled into Haywood and I brought Steph to the medical suite on two. I gently set her down on the exam table, and knelt down to look at her.

"Babe. I have to go." I can't believe this. Not now, goddammit. My contract was almost up. Stephanie looked at me, and I knew she understood the unstated 'in the wind'.

"How long?" Stephanie asked, sounding like she was trying very hard not to break down. I felt my chest tighten. I hated leaving her right now. Shit, I hated leaving her any time.

"Don't know, babe. Could be a few days or a few weeks. I doubt it will be longer than a month, but I just don't know. They call, I go. It's how it is."

"OK. When do you have to leave?"

"Tonight. I have to go finish up a few things and then I have to take off." Stephanie took a deep breath, and looked at me, her eyes wide and shining. She was trying not to cry. Didn't that just make me feel like the world's biggest tool.

"Stephanie, right now, there is nothing more I want than to be able to stay here with you. You know that. But this is something I have to do. Just... shit." I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Of all the timing, _now _is when I realize I love her, and there's no turning back. I love her. I can't believe I've shut this out for so damn long. I've been such an idiot. And now, _now _I have to take off and who the hell knows what will happen next. Focus, Mañoso. Now is not the time. You can kick your own ass later. "I wish I had more time to tell you all the things you deserve to hear. But I gotta go. When we do this, I want to do it right. So for now, can you just be strong for me?" Steph nodded as her tears finally started falling. I ached for her. I wanted to take away all her pain, be the superhero she thought I was. I wrapped her in my arms and breathed in her scent one last time. "Be strong for me, babe. I'll be back. Wait for me." I felt her nod against my chest. I gave her one last kiss on the top of her head, and turned to leave. I didn't think I'd be able to walk out the door if I saw the look on her face.

Just as I reached the doorway, I heard her soft voice say, "Don't get shot." I had to smile, even as this was tearing me apart.

"Don't go crazy."

And I forced myself to walk out the door.

* * *

_Bobby_

When Lester came to tell us that they'd found Steph, that she was alive, I could feel the weight being lifted off my chest. Les took my spot and sent me to the basement to check on Stephanie before we headed out. I grabbed my medic bag and tore downstairs, needing to see for myself that Stephanie was alive.

Steph was curled up in Ranger's arms, wearing a giant black t-shirt. I didn't see any pants. She looked dirty and tired and scared. Ranger looked like he was holding his whole world in his arms. He was whispering to her that she was his life, she was his light, that he needed her spark to see his way through the night. Well damn if that wasn't the most emotion I'd seen out of him since... well, shit, since ever. If he weren't saying it all in Spanish I'd think he'd finally gotten his shit together, but the fact that he was acknowledging it at all was, for Ranger, a massive step.

I walked over and kneeled next to them to get a better look at Stephanie.

"Hey, Bomber, you scared us," I said as I tried to get a decent visual assessment with her still wrapped up in Ranger's arms. "Have you been hurt?" She glanced over at me and looked away without responding. "Steph? Is anything broken?" Nothing. She was just staring blankly at her clasped hands. I looked at Ranger. "If we can't get a response, we might have to take her to the ER. She _looks _okay, but maybe they could..."  
"NO!" Steph interrupted. "No hospital. No ER. I'm fine. Really. Just take me back to Haywood. Please? I need... I need to be somewhere familiar. Please, Bobby." She looked at me and she looked like she was trying to hold it together, but her tone barely hid her desperation.

"If I let you come back to Haywood instead of the ER, you're going to have to let me check a few things here first." Stephanie nodded reluctantly, and I knew she was keeping quiet about something, but I had to get this going so we could get her back to the safety of RangeMan.

"Were you hit on the head? Drugged?"

"My head is fine. I think he drugged me... things are a little hazy."  
"Do you know what day it is?"  
"Sunday?" Stephanie asked, looking over at Ranger, unsure.

He glanced at me with a flash of tightly controlled anger, before telling her, "No, Babe. Today's Monday."

She looked at me, visibly shaken. "Shit, sorry, Bobby. He must have drugged me. I don't remember being gone that long. But I feel fine, really, just get me the hell out of here." I looked over her, assessing. She didn't seem disoriented. She didn't look like she was in a lot of pain. She was still shivering, but that was probably from being stuck in a fucking basement wearing nothing but a t-shirt. I might as well evaluate her at Haywood. If she needed the ER, we were close, anyway. I gave her a nod and we headed out.

On the drive back I continued to watch her for signs of injury or illness, but she seemed ok. She looked like she was trying to hold herself together in front of Ranger. He still hadn't let go of her and I could see the tension in her eyes. That was unusual. Typically when something happened with Steph, as soon as Ranger was with her, she calmed down. Something was going on, but I wasn't going to bring it up until we were back in the building and I knew for sure that she was safe and unharmed.

Ranger's phone went off, and when he looked at it I saw his expression turn cold as he cursed to himself. I knew that look. Had it myself from time to time. Something somewhere in the world had gone FUBAR and Uncle Sam needed Ranger to go fix it. I heard him give his acknowledgment, and nodded at him, telling him I knew who called. My eyes were on Stephanie and she didn't appear to have heard anything. Her gaze was about a million miles away, and she looked – I don't know, she looked tense, brittle, like she was about to break apart. And in the back of her eyes, I saw a hardness that hadn't been there before. A hardness I had seen before, in the guys I worked with. It was something I had hoped to never have to see in Stephanie.

We finally got to Haywood and Ranger took her to two. I knew what he had to tell her, so I went up to five to give them a few minutes of privacy. The guys surrounded me, asking about Steph, wanting to make sure she was okay. I'm not sure how reassuring I was – I really didn't have it in me at the moment to put a lot of effort into it, I was too concerned about whatever was going on that Stephanie wasn't saying. Wading through what seemed like every RangeMan employee, I found Tank. He had organized the search of the area surrounding the house, leaving Ram to head up the team in the field, so he could return here to handle the expected influx of information. I told him about Ranger's call, and he headed to his office to begin the necessary preparations for Ranger's absence. I waited around on five as long as I could, wanting to give Steph and Ranger their time to say goodbye, but knowing I needed to get Steph checked out as soon as I could. Ten minutes later my patience ran out and I took the stairs down to my medical suite. I passed Ranger in the hall and he looked like hell. He definitely looked like he could inflict whatever damage necessary to complete his mission. I wouldn't want to be whoever the psychotic assclown was that he was going after, that's for damn sure.

I entered the exam room, trying to lock down my emotions so I could focus on treating Stephanie and not on how much I wanted to be out there looking for the asshole that did this. Stephanie was on the exam table, looking lost without Ranger next to her. I smiled at her and reached over to hug her, to tell her that she would be fine, that Ranger would be fine. When my fingers brushed her arm she gasped and scrambled away from me, looking panicked. What the hell?

"Stephanie?" I asked softly, trying to calm her down. "Stephanie, it's me, Bobby. You're safe." She looked up at me and I saw the fear start to diminish, leaving... shame? Was she ashamed? Of what? "Stephanie? Can you tell me what happened?" She burst into hysterical sobs, and I was at a loss.

What in the hell had happened in that basement?


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, I wish.

**Warning: **Sexual assault.

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. All of my friends here are moving out of the country this week (literally, every single one of them) so I've been cramming as much social time in as possible. Anyway, I have to say I was doing a lot of happy dances from your reviews :)

On with the show...

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

_Bobby_

Stephanie was curled up on the exam table, looking like she was trying to make herself as tiny as possible. Knees to chest, arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on knees, like maybe she could make herself disappear. She had calmed down some after her outburst, but her eyes were wide and glassy, and I knew I had to get her to tell me what had happened. I hesitated to try to break through the feeble barriers she had set up to protect herself, but if she wouldn't let me take her to the hospital, then I had to do this.

"Stephanie... please, Steph. I know you don't want to, but you have to tell me what happened. I need to know so I can make sure you'll be all right, so I can get you the help you need if necessary." She nodded but looked away, still closed off, still resisting. "Why don't you start at the beginning, and go from there? What was the last thing you remember?"

She let out a shuddering sigh and quietly began to speak, eyes lowered. "I was at my apartment Friday night. I got back from dinner with my parents, showered, and went to bed. I couldn't sleep, and I guess I must have sensed something, because I thought Ranger was in my apartment. Someone was there, but I didn't have time to react. He must have stun gunned me, or drugged me, or something, because one minute I was fine and the next I was out. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up in that house..." she glanced up at me and looked away. "I woke up tied to a bed." I felt my fists clench and had to force myself to loosen them. I had to know what happened, and punching a hole in the wall probably wouldn't inspire a feeling of safety in Stephanie.

"Stephanie, it's ok. You're safe now. Everything will be fine. Just tell me what happened, and we'll figure out how to fix it together." She was looking at the floor instead of at me, and I could see the tears begin to fall again, but she didn't seem aware of them. She seemed far away again. "Stephanie, look at me. Stephanie!" I said sharply, which seemed to break through her thoughts. Holding her gaze, I repeated, "You're here. You're safe. Everything will be fine. We won't let anything happen to you. But you have to tell me what happened." She nodded again and spoke, sounding more robotic, like she was reporting something she'd observed, rather than something she'd experienced.

"I was tied to the bed. Moreno, the guy we'd been trying to investigate, came in. He was calm. He wasn't angry. But he wasn't all there. It was like somebody flipped off the part that made him human. I asked him what I was doing there. Who he was. What he wanted. He walked up and slapped me. Told me not to ask questions. He pulled off my panties. I tried to fight, kick him or something, but he pulled out a knife. He held it to my throat." She looked away. "He raped me." Tears were rolling down her cheeks but she still sounded so disconnected. I had to turn away. I wasn't sure I could listen to the rest. I can't do this, I thought, I can't listen to her describe this violation. She was Stephanie, she was so much to so many of us, this couldn't have happened to her. Rage and denial and grief and nausea were roiling inside me, and I braced myself against the wall, head down, eyes shut as I told myself to breathe. Stephanie needs me right now. I took another deep breath and turned back to her. I had to get her to finish the story, get her to keep talking while I could. She was still looking away, so I walked into her field of vision, speaking calmly.

"Okay, Stephanie. It will be fine. But I need you to finish telling me what happened. What happened after – " I had to force the words out, I couldn't seem to unclench my jaw – "after he raped you." She focused intensely on her clenched hands and continued.

"He left the room. I was still tied up. I don't know how much time passed, it felt like hours. I couldn't tell, he blacked out the window. I tried, while he was gone, I tried to loosen the ropes, but they wouldn't loosen. I was afraid to scream, I thought he would come back with the knife. I didn't know if he was still in the house or not. He came back later. He talked then. He said he would ruin me. Then kill me. Then leave my body for Ranger to find. That this would destroy Ranger the way Ranger destroyed him. I couldn't help it then. I screamed. I didn't want to die. He slapped me again, he held out the knife, he raped me again. Then he untied me and shoved me in the bathroom. There was no way out. I tried to clean up the best I could. I got water from the tap. He tied me back to the bed, and he left. I wouldn't let myself sleep. I didn't want to be awake, but I had to know... I had to at least know what was happening to me. I needed that much. It was dark in the room for so long... but I had to stay awake. I didn't know when he'd come back. If he'd come back. But he did. He came back, untied me, and dragged me down to the basement. He said if I made any noise that..." she stifled a sob, "that my death would be slow, but Ranger's would be slower. I was afraid to move, afraid to breathe. After awhile, I could hear him pacing, talking. He sounded angry. Then he stopped. I didn't know if he left, if he was waiting for me to try to escape. I was trying not to think about how long I'd been gone, when it hit me that my watch had a panic button. Ranger gave it to me so long ago... there've been so many trackers and panic buttons. I don't know why I didn't remember sooner. I should have remembered. I should have remembered! Why didn't I think of it once my hands were free? All that time!" Stephanie was starting to ramble, starting a tirade of self-reproach that I had to derail.

"_Stephanie!_" I all but shouted, startling her enough that she stopped her rant. More calmly, I continued. "Stephanie. This is not. your. fault. None of this is your fault. You did the best you could. You're alive. That's what matters. You're alive. You're safe. Just focus on that, ok?" She didn't look convinced, but she nodded and calmed down a little. "You don't have to talk any more about it right now." Time for the hard part. I knew she wouldn't like this, but it had to be done. "I know you said you don't want to go to the hospital, but you need to." Deep breath. "You need to have a rape kit done." Steph finally looked straight at me, her eyes wide.

"NO! Bobby, no! Please! I can't go to the hospital. I can't. Not for this. Everyone will know. I can't do that. Not yet. I can't... please don't make me go. Please, Bobby." She was looking at me, tears streaming down her cheeks, and this was tearing me apart.

"Steph, I know you don't want to go. I know. But nobody will know. Hospital records are confidential." Stephanie just looked at me in disbelief.

"Confidential. Right." She sounded bitter, and I guess she had every right to be. She had a point. Nothing in her life was kept secret. Confidentiality meant nothing. If she went to St. Francis, hell, if she went to any hospital in the area, it would be all over Trenton. Fuck. I'd have to get someone here to do it. The problem was the person had to be trained in medical forensic evidence collection, and other than me and Hal, I didn't know anybody else in the area that I trusted enough. On top of that, Stephanie would probably be more comfortable with a woman performing the exam. I had no idea who to go to here. I'd have to ask Hal if he knew of any women in the area with the right training and the ability to be discrete.

"Ok, Steph, ok. You don't have to go. I'll see if I can bring someone in." Stephanie looked away, seeming scared and tired and tense all at once.

"Can't... can't you do it?" She was speaking quietly, wringing her hands in her lap. "I don't want... I can't imagine having some stranger... I just..." She took a shuddering breath. "Please, Bobby. I don't think I could handle having a stranger do that. I can't. Please. I trust you. Just get it over with." And with that she lost all semblance of control. She was sobbing so hard she was coughing and shaking and it was ripping me apart that I couldn't fix this for her, I couldn't make it better. I wrapped my arms around her and she pressed against my chest, shivering and coughing and crying and all I could do was rub her back and tell her it would be ok, it would all be ok, and in my mind I was screaming that it wasn't ok, it was awful, all of this, it couldn't have happened to Stephanie, how do I stop this for her, oh God, how do I make it better again. I was rocking her slowly and murmuring quietly and slowly she was catching her breath, calming back down.

I told her I'd do the kit, if she was sure, if she was absolutely positive she didn't want me to bring in somebody else. She just looked at me and nodded her assent, so I gathered what I needed and handed her an evidence bag for her shirt. I explained to her each step of the exam what I was doing and why, from head to toe, and she just sat, not speaking. As gently as I could, I completed the test kit, repeating to myself that she was just a patient, locking away the part of my brain that was screaming that this was _Stephanie_, and what god awful world lets something so brutally horrifying happen to somebody so sweet and kind and _good_? My rage and grief were simmering just below the surface, and it was all I could do to maintain any sense of professional calm, but I did it because I had to. I did it for Stephanie.

I handed her a pair of sweats from the stash we keep in my clinic and told her she could put them on, and after I stored the evidence I would be back to help her to an apartment on four. She just nodded, gaze down. At that moment she looked defeated. Like the world had done its worst and she didn't have the strength to face it anymore. I'd never seen Stephanie look like that, and it shattered what self-control I had maintained. I grabbed the kit and left the room, trying to get the hell away before I lost it completely. I went to the supply room and stored the evidence. As soon as it was properly labeled and put away, I ran out of the room, barely making it to my office before the nausea overtook me and I collapsed over my trash bin, gagging and shaking with anger and grief. I didn't realize Les was there until he spoke.

"What the hell, man? I came down to ask how Steph was doing, and you're down here puking all over the place. You look like hell! What the fuck happened?" He paused, assessing me. I could practically see the realization crash into him, as his muscles tensed and his eyes darkened.

"I swear to Christ, I will tear that motherfucker to fucking _pieces_." He said, deadly quiet. He turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind him so hard it splintered the frame.

I wiped my face with my shirt and chucked it away, standing and pulling myself together. Glaring at the crack in the frame, I growled, "Not if I get there first."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**A/N: Hope the short update is enough to tide you over. My friends have all officially moved away now, so I will probably have more time in the next week or so. On with the show!**

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**Chapter Nine**

_Bobby_

I chased after Lester, hoping to catch him before he stormed out of the building and did something that would be, while understandable, also monumentally stupid. Snagging his arm, I grabbed his attention.

"Lester, hold up. You can't do this – not yet. Going off half-cocked is just going to get you killed. Not to mention Moreno. I fucking hate him too, man. I get it. But Stephanie deserves some closure. She should get to decide this. You gotta let her have a say in this, or it's just going to be one more thing she doesn't have control over."

Lester had started out glaring at me, but as I continued I could see my words start to penetrate his fog of rage. He cared about Steph, too, I knew, and wouldn't want to be the one to take another little bit of control away from her. He scrubbed his hands over his face, fighting with himself, knowing the right thing to do wasn't the thing every instinct in his body was screaming at him to do.

"FUCK!" he yelled, pounding the wall in frustration. Every muscle in his body looked tense, like he was trying to physically restrain himself from going after the bastard that did this. "Bobby, this is just... this never should have happened. Not to Stephanie. Not to her. She doesn't deserve this. That _BASTARD_!" He yelled, hitting the wall again. Finally he sank down against the wall, holding his head and muttering senseless threats in Spanish, like it was just too much for him to wrap his mind around.

I slid down next to him, staring straight ahead, and waited for him to regain control over himself. When the muttering had stopped, I started quietly speaking. "I know, Les. I know. We have to keep it together, because Steph is going to need someone to lean on. We'll get the cocksucker who did this, but right now, our priority is the girl down the hall who's barely holding it together." We both sat there a few more moments, shutting away the rage, willing ourselves to be calm so we could go help the girl who was the beating heart of RangeMan.

_Lester_

Bobby looked like absolute hell, and I'm sure I didn't look a lot better. He looked at me like he knew I wasn't going to like what he was about to tell me.

"I need you to go help Stephanie. I sent Hal to go process her apartment, and he brought Ella with him so she could pack some of Steph's things. Bring her to the empty apartment on four, but don't let her fall asleep yet. I need to go pick up a prescription for her, and she has to take it tonight." I just looked at him. He shook his head, clenching his jaw and fists so tight I'm surprised he didn't break something. "Emergency contraception. In case..." But he couldn't force himself to say it. I could feel the rage humming just below the surface, barely contained. Moreno was going to die for this, I swore it to myself. He would die. Slowly. Agonizingly. Until he was aware, with every single nerve in his body, that he had fucked with the wrong person.

"Hey, man." Bobby snapped me back to attention. "Go take care of her. I shouldn't be too long. Somebody has to sit with her tonight in case of a bad reaction to the drugs, so you and I will take shifts. Tell Tank we're offline tonight." I gave him a short nod, and he took off down the stairs. I tried to clear my head of all the images of my plans for Moreno, but nothing worked until I heard a quiet, unmistakable cry from the direction of the exam room. Slamming my blank face in place, I headed down the hall, wanting to be there for Stephanie but dreading facing her, knowing the hell she'd been through but not being able to do a damn thing to fix it for her.

When I walked in, she was curled up on the exam table in a ridiculously huge set of black sweats. She was staring off into space, tears streaming down her face, though she seemed unaware of them.

"Hey, beautiful," I said as softly as I could. Steph turned her gaze in my direction but she still looked like she was off in some other dark place. "I'm going to take you to one of the empty apartments, ok? Bobby says you shouldn't be alone for the next few days and we're here to take care of you. We sent Ella to bring you some of your stuff." I watched as my words seemed to penetrate her fog, and as her gaze sharpened, her eyes widened a little.

"Les? You... do you know what happened? What... what really happened?" I nodded, wary of her reaction. "How? Did Bobby tell you?"

I knew the idea of Bobby betraying her trust like that would crush her, so I was quick to reassure her. "No, Steph, he would never do that to you. I put it together on my own. But I won't say a word, not to anyone, and Bobby won't either. You know you can trust us."

She nodded, and I helped her off the exam table and to the elevators. I wanted to just pick her up and carry her, knowing she was sore and stiff from the way she was walking, but I could see how on edge she was and I didn't want to overwhelm her too much. But every wince and quiet gasp of pain was playing hell on my nerves, and it was all I could do not give in to my temper and go tear Trenton apart in search of the fuckface responsible for all this.

I brought her into the apartment and sat down next to her on the couch, quietly explaining to her everything Bobby had told me about Ella and Hal and her apartment. She sat quietly and listened, but I'm not sure how much of what I was saying was getting through. It didn't matter much, though, I was just talking to keep her distracted and as calm as possible until Bobby came back. Ella bustled in with a pile of Steph's stuff, all the while making comforting small talk and offering to cook her favorite foods. I was fairly certain by the end of the night there would be a cake or three waiting in the kitchen for her. After Ella left, I helped Steph to the bathroom, and left her in there to shower and get cleaned up. I sank back onto the couch and rubbed at my temples, trying to get rid of some of the pent up tension. I knew it was useless but I couldn't help it. I was so tightly strung at this point, the next person that so much as looked at Steph funny was going to get decked. My nerves were shot.

Bobby came in a few minutes later, looking around for Steph. I tilted my head wordlessly toward the bathroom and he nodded, setting down the pharmacy bag and sinking onto the couch next to me. He looked exhausted and angry. We just sat in silence, both of us being uncharacteristically still, trying to find the strength to get through what would undoubtedly be a long, difficult night.

We'd only been sitting there a few minutes when we both picked up on muffled crying coming from the bathroom. I started to get up, wanting to run in there and make sure everything was ok, but Bobby reached out to stop me.

"Let her be. She needs to get this out, and storming in there to save the day won't help her in the long run." I let out a harsh sigh and fell back onto the couch, resting my head in my hands. We had to sit there and listen to Stephanie crying, and we couldn't do a damn thing about it. It was ripping my fucking heart out. I seriously didn't know how much more of it I could listen to, but when I looked over at Bobby I knew I had to stay put, at least for him. He looked like he was replaying every horrible thing he had seen in Stephanie's exam, and it was tearing him up. His arms were crossed over his chest and his jaw was clenching as he stared straight ahead, not even blinking.

Twenty interminable minutes later, we heard the water shut off and Stephanie came out in some ratty old sweats, her eyes swollen and red, looking for all the world like she wanted to just disappear until this whole thing was over. She came and stood in front of us, looking at the floor and twisting the bottom of her shirt around in her hands.

"I just wanted to thank you guys for taking care of me today. I know it was hard and I hate that I've caused so much trouble – " and at that Bobby and I both jumped up, startling her enough for her to look straight at us.

"Beautiful, _you _didn't cause any of this. This is _not _your fault. And you know we love you." I glanced over at Bobby. "You know we _all _love you. You're family. And you know it's not trouble to help family. We just want you to be ok." The corner of her mouth tilted up, like she wanted to smile, but couldn't quite get there, and then she was looking at the floor again. I would get that smile back on Stephanie's face if it took everything I had.

"I love you guys, too." She said softly, and didn't that make me feel a few inches taller. "I just wanted you to know. You know. That it means a lot to me, that you were here. That you got me out of that hellhole." And with that she turned and fled to the bedroom. Bobby followed her in, carrying her medication, and I once again sank back onto the couch. This day had been too goddamn long. I just wanted to go to sleep, and when I woke up, I wanted Steph to be whole and unhurt and to never have experienced that vile side of humanity. I wanted that dull look in her eyes gone, I wanted the spark back. The vitality, the stubbornness, the obstinate will to not let anyone hold her back.

And I knew, without a doubt, that Ranger couldn't know. The timing of his mission was pretty shitty, but maybe it was better this way. If he had stayed, he would have figured it out. He would have brought the city to its knees in his hunt to destroy Moreno, and then he would have collapsed along with it. Stephanie thinks he's a fucking superhero, but Ranger had his weakness. Her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was his world, and if he knew somebody had – Christ, I couldn't even think the word without wanting to break something – if he knew somebody had raped her, it would destroy him. As it was, Bobby and I were barely controlled enough to function.

Bobby came out of Steph's room and told me he'd take the first shift so he could keep an eye out for any immediate reaction to her medication, so I told him I'd be back in four hours. Instead of getting some sleep like I knew I should be doing, I headed to the gym. I needed to beat the shit out of something, _anything_, before I fucking lost it. Entering the gym, I went to the first punching bag I saw and just attacked it. All the while, chanting in my head to the rhythm of my kicks and punches, I heard, _This. Is. For. Her. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**A/N: Sorry for the massive delay. I had a wedding overseas to go to, so my life's been a little nutty. But I don't have any more major life events for a few more months so I'm hoping to pick up the pace on this. The good news, though, is that I managed to write the next few chapters of this while on my various international flights (ugh). So if you're extra nice, I'll post a few more in the next few days :D**

**Happy reading!**

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**Chapter Ten**

_Stephanie_

My hands were tied to the bedposts, and I could feel the rope chafing my wrists, but for once, I was grateful for the pain. It was probably the only thing keeping me coherent right now. Every time my mind started the descent into panic, I would pull at the ropes to bring myself back from the edge. Moreno had left – who knows how long ago, and I had no idea if – no, when, I had to believe he'd be back at some point – I had no idea when he would show up again. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had locked away all the fear and pain of _that_, because if I wanted to get out of here with my sanity in tact I had to do what I do best. Denial. But the longer I was left alone, the harder it was to deny. Nobody had any idea where I was, nobody knew I was taken, and nobody was expecting to see me for another day. The small part of the old Stephanie that was left – the part that I was desperately clinging to – wanted to come up with a plan, figure out what to do. But the rest of me – the part that Moreno had torn apart – recognized that there was no way out. I couldn't free myself, and I was too terrified to yell. At the moment, I was too terrified to do anything but lie there and try not to think about my aching body and my growing hopelessness. I wanted to sleep, if only to escape reality for a little while, but every time I shut my eyes, I could see Moreno above me, sweating and grunting, eyes full of anger and revenge. So, my eyes stayed open.

I was just starting to convince myself that I could think of something other than this hell I was in, thinking if I could just focus on Ranger, and his fearlessness and strength, that maybe I could hold on long enough to make it through this – that's when I heard it. A door opened. Adrenaline surged through my body, my fear rising higher with every footfall I heard. Again I wanted to shut my eyes, turn away, but terror kept my eyes glued to the doorway of the room. I heard footsteps get closer, then fade. I heard Moreno talking. He sounded angry, but it was hard to focus through the haze of panic. The footsteps stopped – and came closer. They stopped just outside the doorway, and my breath stopped with them. I knew it – I knew he would come in again. Finish what he started. Maybe this time he would finish it all. The old me rallied against that thought, but the new me, the new disgusting, torn, dirty Stephanie that Moreno had created, welcomed the finish. At least there it would be quiet. At least there, no one could touch me. And I would never again ache in the violated way I ached now.

Moreno came in, stalking toward the bed I was tied to, and I watched as he undid his belt. Unzipped his pants. Stepped closer. When he grabbed my hair to yank my head back, exposing my throat, I felt the new Stephanie decide she could take no more. So I disconnected. That wasn't me on that bed. That wasn't Moreno on top of me, wrenching my legs apart, forcing himself inside me, muttering those sickening things to me. That wasn't me.

I watched as he ended it. My eyes were vacant, my legs lax, my arms no longer straining against the rope. I stopped trying to get free. There was no such thing anymore. I would never again be free.

Suddenly I was awake. I was in my bed, but my wrists were no longer restrained. I was drenched in sweat, but somehow I was freezing, shivering, my teeth chattering. I didn't know where I was. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of here. Moreno might come back. I wasn't sure I wanted to live, but I knew I didn't want to die.

I stumbled out of the bed, still not recognizing anything. I could only focus on the fact that I was no longer tied down and that meant I had to get the hell _out _before he came back, before he found me, before he tied me up again and –

There was a man in the doorway and I screamed, stumbling backwards, thinking I had nowhere to go. I couldn't get away, this wasn't happening again, this couldn't be happening again because oh God he was going to tie me down and rape my body and this would never end, oh God, this would never end – and I screamed again, and then everything was black.

_Bobby_

I was lying on Stephanie's couch, only half coherent, trying to figure out what we were going to do about this massive bag of dicks we'd been handed, when I heard Steph moving around in the bedroom. I left Lester snoring in the recliner, thinking I could handle this one myself, he'd nearly killed himself in the gym and I knew we'd need him tomorrow to help with the manhunt.

Approaching the open bedroom doorway, I saw Stephanie stumbling out of bed. Just as I was about to ask her if she was okay, she looked up – and let out a hysterical scream. Rushing into the room, I got a good look at her face, and immediately yelled for Lester. She was half out of her mind, shaking and hyperventilating and if I couldn't get her calmed down, I was going to have to sedate her. Lester tore into the room and I ordered him to bring in my med kit. Stephanie was white, her skin clammy, and she was incoherently mumbling to herself, backing away from me. I approached slowly, trying to get a good look at her, and saw the wild fear and panic in her eyes. Lester shoved my bag at me, telling me to fucking help her already, couldn't I see she was terrified and to fix it _right now_. I ignored him, grabbing a fast acting tranquilizer and edged toward Stephanie, trying to figure out how to do this without making the whole situation worse. She finally snapped, letting out another scream, and I knew I'd have to do it the hard way. I motioned for Lester to help me hold her down, and he restrained her while I gave her the injection, and her screams finally died.

Les had picked her up when her body went limp from the sedation, and he laid her back down on the bed while I checked her pulse and watched her breathing grow even.

Looking up, I caught Lester's eye and nodded toward the living room, and he left so I could recheck her wounds and make sure none of them had reopened in her panicked state.

Reassured that physically she was fine, I followed him out.

"Shit." I blew out a breath, throwing myself down on the couch. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. I don't know how much more Steph can take. What the fuck are we gonna do, man."

Les looked over at me, his expression dark, with pain and fury all rolled into one massive, roiling ball of fuck. Lester was just as on edge as I was at that moment, and if one more goddamn thing happened tonight, I think we would both lose it completely.

_Lester_

"What the fuck are we gonna do, man." Bobby asked. He looked exhausted and edgy. I knew the feeling.

"Fuck if I know."

We just stared at the walls for a few minutes, trying to regain our composure.

"Look, Bobby. We're just going to have to treat this like a case. A massive clusterfuck of a case, but the same plan of attack still applies. Steph deserves that much. So here's what we're going to do. You're going to stay here until 0800, when I'll come relieve you. I'll go put together a team to start on the research, get word out that we're looking for this douchebag, and start hitting up contacts." Bobby nodded, and I took off, glad to have a mission to distract me from the godawful misery pervading the room. It was suffocating me.

I went and roused Tank, Cal, Ram, and Hector, kicking their asses out of bed, and told them we were doing this _now, _goddammit, no it can't wait until zero nine, that by that time I wanted a full report and if they didn't have something to report by then, they'd better meet me on the mats and we were going to review proper intelligence gathering skills. Tank in particular looked at me like I'd lost my damn head, but I was practically vibrating with the need to just fucking fix this and make everything okay for Steph again, and if that meant ordering Ranger's second in command around like a damn e-nothing, I would damn well do it. They could take their shock and shove it up their asses, for all I cared.

That done, I left RangeMan and headed for Stark. I had a few contacts that might be useful, if not for intel, than for human-shaped targets.

_The Team_

Tank, Cal, Ram, and Hector were gathered in the conference room, and every one of them looked dazed as hell.

"Somebody want to tell me what the fuck that was about?" Tank growled, glaring around the room. He clearly expected a response, but the rest of the guys didn't know what the hell had just happened either. Lester had looked like he was about to pull his gun and shoot the first person who argued with him, which was probably the only reason Tank had let him get away with giving him orders. That, and they all wanted to help Steph find the assclown that thought it was a good idea to kidnap her. Tank just shook his head and started organizing the team. He'd deal with Lester later. Right now, RangeMan was going hunting.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews, I am grateful for every single one! Happy reading :)**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

_Stephanie_

I came awake gradually this time, rising into awareness as I felt every ache from the last 24 hours come alive. Sitting up slowly, I peered around the room, trying to remember the sequence of events that led me... apparently, to an apartment on the fourth floor of RangeMan. I heard someone moving around out in the living room and instinctually cringed away, and with that one simple motion everything came flooding back to me. I felt my heart rate speed up as I tried to get a grip on myself. I didn't want to fall apart again; it was exhausting.

"Hey, Steph." Lester said quietly as he sat down next to me on the bed. "How you feeling today?"

I glanced over at him. I thought it better not to reply with the truth – absolutely miserable in every sense of the word – so instead I went with a generic shrug. "Fine." This was so unbe_liev_ably uncomfortable. I could see the concerned look on Lester's face and all it made me want to do was either run and hide or plaster on a fake smile and pretend like everything was ok. Unfortunately, neither was a good option, because hiding from a Merry Man was never a good idea, and Lester would see right through my denial games. Too bad, too, because denial sounded like a great place to be right now.

"Bobby was here until 0800. He said you might feel a little hung over from the sedative he gave you, so he said to take some Advil and just rest today. He'll be here in a few to keep you company." I was nodding at the words, but not really absorbing the meaning. Sedative? I don't remember a sedative... and then it hit me. Oh. Last night. That must have been Bobby or Lester in my room. I looked over at Lester, my eyes widened.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry about last night! I didn't... I didn't really realize who it was in the doorway. I thought..." and I started tearing up. Oh no. Not this again. I do NOT want to have another massive crying jag. Once was enough.

Lester looked like he wanted to pull me into a hug, but must have decided against it, simply saying, "Beautiful, it's ok. It's fine. We understand. Hell, I think Bobby pretty much expected it because he had the sedative all ready to go. We don't expect...shit." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking tentative. "I'm not good with this shit, but what I mean is, we don't expect you to be fine. Maybe eventually, but right now it's ok if you want to be a mess. You just do what you gotta do, and we'll get you through it." Lester being sweet completely undid me, and I burst into tears once again, letting myself fall over into his lap. The idea of being touched still repulsed me, but right now I needed some human contact, needed to be connected to someone good and kind, so that maybe I could absorb some of that, maybe it would help take away the dirty, used feeling crawling under my skin.

Lester was probably startled by my outburst – typically I'm not this emotional nor this clingy – but he didn't show it, simply rubbing his hand up and down my arm, quietly telling me all the things I needed to hear, that someday things would get better, that he knew I would be okay eventually, that I was one of the strongest people he knew but it was okay to lean on him. His words, coming from a big tough former Army ranger, helped me get a little control over my wildly swinging emotions. If he really believed all that, then maybe I would be okay.

I was still lying in his lap, just quietly resting, absorbing the comfort of my friend, when I noticed his knuckles were red and scratched up.

"Les? Are you ok? Did you guys already find..." but my throat closed up before I could get _his _name out.

He looked at me, surprised. "No, we've got a team together, and we'll look for him as long as it takes, but the bastard must have had a plan figured out, he's two steps ahead of us. All we have to go on is his name, which you know is a cover." He rubbed his face with his free hand, frustrated. "Don't worry about it, Beautiful. Let us take care of this for you." I nodded, looking away. I imagine Lester and Bobby needed some sense of purpose in this, and if hunting down Moreno gave it to them, so be it. If only I had such a sense of purpose. I could barely think past the next minute. I was afraid to go to sleep. I was afraid to be awake. And more than that, I _hated _that I was so afraid. I wanted to be strong, fearless, unbreakable. I wanted to be somebody people would think twice about screwing with. I let out a small, sad smile. I wanted to be Ranger. Instead I was this trembling weak thing. I was disgusted with myself. I sat up and went to the kitchen to hunt down some comfort food. I couldn't think about this anymore. I would let Les and the guys take care of the hunt for Moreno, and meanwhile I would bury myself in Tastykakes.

I tensed when there was a knock on the door. Les was quick to reassure me that it was just Bobby coming to check up on me now that I was awake, and I felt another wave of disgust roll over me. It was just a knock on a door, I was safe – hell, I was probably in the most secure building in Trenton, for chrissakes. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I called out for Bobby to come in.

"I have to go," Les said. "I need to go get a report from the team. If anything turned up, I'll let you know later." And with that he leaned over and softly kissed me on the forehead. "You'll be ok, Beautiful. I know it." He said quietly, and then left.

Bobby came over and gave me a superficial exam, giving me more topical antibiotics and something for the raw skin on my wrists and ankles from the rope. I gave him a weak smile in thanks, and turned on the TV to some crappy reality show. We settled in in silence. Today I was going to focus on bad TV and junk food. I'd worry about the rest tomorrow.

_Lester_

"Report!" I barked out to the men. We were once again in the conference room discussing Moreno.

Tank looked exhausted as he began his report. "We had a lead. We interrogated De Luca again after Ranger took off, and found the connection between him and Moreno. He knew some guy who could get Moreno back out of the country. That's who Moreno was supposed to be off meeting when we found Steph."  
I nodded, finally feeling the ball of tension in my chest start to ease off a little, until I mentally reviewed what Tank said.

"Wait. _Had _a lead? What the fuck, man!"

Tank just glared at me, pissed off and frustrated. "I fucking know, alright! Christ, let me finish. So Ram, Cal, and I tracked this dumbfuck to some shithole apartment on Comstock, but when we busted in, somebody had been there first. Likely Moreno, cleaning up after himself. The guy had his brains blown out. Looks like the shot was taken long range, so we've got Hector searching out possible locations of the shooter, and we let the TPD know that RangeMan considers this high priority, and they should too. They'll let us know the results once they're finished processing the evidence."

"You didn't disclose _why _this is high priority for us, did you?" I asked. If he did, Steph would have to go give a statement, and right now she wanted this whole thing kept quiet. With any luck, she would let us deal with the whole thing in-house. There would be a lot less paperwork involved if we could deal with Moreno our own way.

Cal shook his head. "No, man, we got Steph's back. Didn't figure she'd want to deal with Morelli giving her more shit about her job or anything right now."

"How's she doing?" Ram asked. "I know yesterday must have been pretty intense for her. I saw Bobby earlier in the gym, and he looked like shit."

"She's fine. Got some cuts and scrapes, but Bobby's keeping an eye on her. I think I've got her convinced to take some time off, you know, relax and not immediately dive into the case. Between Ranger leaving and the kidnapping I think she's pretty worn out. We probably won't see her back on the floor for awhile, she needs the break." Hopefully that would keep the guys from asking too many questions and give Steph some time to recover, maybe talk to a counselor or someone, before she has to go back to work.

The guys nodded, looking relieved to hear that she was doing OK. I hated bullshitting them but I wouldn't break Steph's trust for anything. They'd understand. Well, they would understand as long as I made sure we got Moreno before he was either out of the country or in police custody. "Make sure to let me know as soon as the TPD has the results." I said to Tank. He just gave me a speculative look and nodded.

We all headed back out to try to nail down any more possible leads. I wanted to go talk to De Luca myself. I planned on extracting every piece of even remotely usable information out of him. I got on the elevator to head to his cell. Until we caught Moreno, De Luca would have to suffice as the target for my pent up rage. A tight smile played across my lips. This was going to be _fun_.

_Bobby_

Bomber and I spent the day watching crappy TV, not talking, just passing various bags of junk food back and forth. Normally I wouldn't eat like this, nor would Ranger allow this much junk in the building, but under the circumstances I figured he would tolerate it, and if not, I didn't give a shit. I could definitely understand the medicinal qualities of comfort food and mind-numbing reality shows. Or home improvement shows. Or... what the hell are we watching now? Something about cakes? Jesus. But for Bomber, I'd sit through anything.

"Stephanie," I said quietly, once a commercial came on.

"Yeah?" She glanced over, otherwise not moving an inch.

"If you need it, I can get you set up with a counselor. Somebody you can talk to about this."  
"Can't I talk to you?" She looked alarmed.

"Of course, Steph, you can always talk to me. But it might help you to talk to someone with expertise in the area... or someone else who's been through the same things..." I trailed off, not wanting to push too hard.

She looked away and sighed. "Maybe. I don't know, Bobby. The idea of talking to a stranger about... all this... hell, the idea of talking about it at _all_... it's just too much, right now. Not today. I know I can't live in denial forever. But please, Bobby, just give me today." She pleaded.

Reluctantly, I nodded, and we went back to watching professional bakers compete to the death, or something. Who the fuck knows. My eyes slid back to Stephanie periodically, making sure she was ok – or at least, as ok as she could be right now. Mentally, I was vibrating with tension and worry. I knew Bomber was strong – hell, she had to be, to make it through some of the crazy shit that surrounded her constantly. But this was well beyond the realm of what Stephanie usually has to deal with. On top of that, when her usual chaotic situations come up, she leans on Ranger, and she didn't have that support right now, and wouldn't for who knows how long. I just hoped that she was a little put back together before Ranger got back from BFE, or he would lose his shit. _If _he made it back. We all knew what these missions were like. He had better make it home. I wasn't sure Steph could handle losing him on top of everything else. And RangeMan couldn't handle losing Steph.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I wish.**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. They really make my day. :)**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

_Stephanie_

"I'll be _fine_, Les. I swear. But if I don't get out of this apartment more, I'll lose my mind." I wasn't lying, either. Much. I'd basically been holed up in the apartment on four for the past week, and while the break from real life was appreciated, I knew I had to get back out there at some point. I'd left only twice, once to go see a counselor, and once to go to a group therapy session the counselor had suggested. I didn't count either of those experiences as getting out, because it was exhausting trying to keep up the appearance of holding it together after spending an hour rehashing my time with Moreno and then listening to other women tell their own personal horror stories. Lester and Bobby went as my bodyguards, and while I appreciated their presence – because Lord knew I was hesitant enough to leave the building with Moreno still out there – I wanted to start living my life again. I wanted to get a little bit of normal back, even if it only meant going up one floor for the day.

Lester flashed me a grin from his spot on the couch. When I wasn't at a counseling session or being poked and prodded at – excuse me, 'examined' – by Bobby, I was curled up on the couch next to Les watching episode after episode of bad TV. I found it comforting. It gave me permission to shut my brain off and focus on the problems of strangers that would be neatly resolved in a one-hour time frame. Honestly, I'm surprised Les hasn't lost _his_ mind watching some of this stuff. _He _wasn't the one busy avoiding reality.

"OK, Beautiful. If you say so. I know the guys have missed having you do their searches. I guess I can't keep you all to myself forever." He heaved a dramatic sigh, which drew a smile out of me. Lester had really been great this week, not pushing me to talk about things, just letting me deal with it at my own pace, doing his best to get me to smile. "We'll go up after lunch. I know Tank wants to see you, and Hector. I guess it's pretty dull without you up there brightening up the place." I looked away and felt a blush creep up on me. In spite of Lester's antics, he could be sweet. Though he would make a face and immediately deny it if I ever told him so.

After eating as much as I could for lunch (Ella had been outdoing herself in the kitchen in an attempt to bring my appetite back), Les and I boarded the elevator. I let out a sigh, arms wrapped around myself, and leaned on Les. I loved these guys, they were my family, but still I was nervous. After Moreno – after the kidnapping, I felt a tension that hadn't been there – Before. But this was After, and I had to deal with it if I wanted my life back. Les gently put a hand on my back, spreading comforting warmth down my spine, and under his breath he reassured me that I would be fine and he would be there the whole time. I missed Ranger – so much so that I wouldn't let myself think about him, especially now – but Lester had been there for me the past week in a way I didn't know I needed. I don't know if I could ever find a way to tell him how much his friendship meant to me.

The doors opened with a ding and that seemed to be the cue for all the Merry Men on the floor to break out in cheers. I could feel myself stiffen at the sudden commotion, still not feeling secure in my own skin. Les must have been giving off some sort of stay back vibe, because the guys all told me how glad they were to see me back, but none of them tried to hug me or anything, for which I was grateful. I smiled and nodded at the guys, told them I was doing great and was just ready to get back to work. I'm not sure how many of them bought it – I swear I saw a few of them glance at each other with an unreadable expression – but they left it alone and I made my way to my cubicle. Groaning at the massive stack of searches in my inbox, I flopped into my chair and told myself this was necessary. I knew the guys wouldn't let me back into the field anytime soon, not with Moreno out there (and truthfully I didn't much feel like leaving the safety of the building anyway), but I had to do _something_ other than watch TV. I might as well be useful and help the guys out.

I started flipping through the search requests, so I could start on the most urgent ones. I came to the last one and froze. It was De Luca. I shoved the desire to run back to my apartment to the back of my mind. I wanted to have a part in catching the men responsible for my abduction, and here was my chance. Looking through the file, it looked like somebody had already done some research on him. Maybe the guys thought I could find something they missed. It was always a possibility. I was thinking about everything we had on De Luca, trying to think of anything that might have been missed in the first search, when my mind landed on the original distraction job. There had been a guy there that night; he'd started shooting before the guys took him down. I never found out what was going on with him or if he was connected to our FTA, given the big fight I'd had with Morelli. Probably he had nothing to do with it, but it was someplace to start. With that, I turned back to my computer and began my research.

_Lester_

After leaving Steph at her cubicle I walked over to my office. It was a wreck, but at the moment, I didn't give a shit. I had bigger things to worry about. Dropping into my chair, I groaned, rubbing my face. God, I was fucking exhausted. Every moment I wasn't in Steph's apartment I was down in the gym trying in vain to work off my still-simmering anger over what had happened to her and my ridiculously helpless feeling that welled up every time I thought about how we'd gotten there too late. It was becoming a constant refrain in my head: Too late. Too late. Too late. If I wasn't in the gym I was talking to the team I had on the Moreno case, trying to piece together what little information we had into making some sort of sense. I flipped through the report the TPD had sent over on the crime scene from the dead guy's apartment on Comstock. So far all they had was that it looked like the guy had connections in Colombia. It made sense – Moreno had been trying to get back out of the country under the radar. Looks like he was heading toward Colombia. They were still processing the physical evidence, waiting on the autopsy results – everything was backed up, as always – but at least they were cooperating with us.

I looked up from the report to see Binkie and Junior heading out in full gear. I went to the control room to see what was going on, and Zip told me an alarm had gone off at a client's house, but there was currently no indication of any movement on the surveillance cameras, so they just dispatched a two-man team. I nodded, and as I was heading back to my office I saw Tank headed my way. He followed me in, shutting the door behind him.

"Just got word from Ranger. His mission may be cut short. His contacts say the target relocated just before he arrived in country. He's waiting for orders but thinks he'll be back here within the month, after gathering all useful intel on the target." I nodded. Thank Christ. Stephanie needed him. I'd been there for her the best way I knew how, but I knew she needed Ranger, even if she would never come out and say it. Every time she flinched at an unexpected movement, every time I saw a flicker of fear flash in her eyes, every time she winced from her still healing injuries, I felt like a knife twisted in my gut. I wanted to help her, but I knew that Ranger was the only one who could give her any sense of real peace back in her life.

Forcibly turning my thoughts back to my conversation with Tank, I felt like something clicked in my head. 'Target relocated just before he arrived in country' Tank said. Shit. I hoped this didn't mean what I was starting to think it meant.

"Do we know the location for his op?" I asked, needing to know but not wanting to hear what I knew Tank would say.

"Not officially. But Ranger referenced our mission from five years ago." He gave me a deliberate stare. Oh Jesus fuck, that mission was a mess. "And before you ask, I talked to his handler, and got the target's name. That's all she would give me. Juan Carlos Ramírez. If you're taking this where I think you are, make sure to use the secure line in Ranger's office. I don't want any goddamn agencies up our ass, you got me?"

"Got it. I'll go tell Stephanie we heard that Ranger's safe. She needs the good news right now." Tank nodded and headed back to his office, while I wandered over to Steph's cubicle, trying to shake off the tension on the way.

"Hey, Beautiful," I said softly, tugging on an errant curl. Steph looked up at me and gave me a small smile in return. I swear I felt my heart flip over when she smiled at me like that, but I quickly shoved those thoughts aside. I didn't have time for bullshit like that, and anyway, I was here to tell her about Ranger, for chrissakes.

"Hey, Les. First day back and I swear Rodriguez saved up everything he had from the past week. It'll take me forever to get through this," she said, indicating the admittedly massive stack of search requests in her inbox.

"Well then, aren't you glad I'm here, the harbinger of good news. We got word that Ranger's currently safe, and may be returning sooner than expected."

"Omigod, Les, that's awesome!" she said, showing more enthusiasm than I'd seen from her in the past week. Of course, the old Stephanie would have thrown her arms around me and jumped around in celebration, but now – well, things were different. Just getting her to show some positive emotion was a decent step, and I was grateful we'd gotten the contact from Ranger, just to see how it helped Stephanie. Yeah, it was clear how much her happiness revolved around him.

"I'll let you know if we hear anything else about his return. I gotta go make some calls." Steph rolled her eyes – I almost laughed, the eye roll was almost better than the smile, in getting Stephanie back to her old self.

"Yeah, yeah, Les, I know. Go save the world – or, I suppose since it's already 3 in the afternoon, just a small country." She gave me another smile and turned back to her computer.

I just smirked at her. "You know it, Beautiful." And turned toward Ranger's office. If only she knew. I didn't need to save the world. I would settle for saving one sweet girl from the Burg.

* * *

Stepping into Ranger's office, I was just about to boot up the secure computer he kept for classified research, when I heard a commotion out on the floor. I stepped out to hear Tank calling for a report. Zip's reply was a little shaky.

"We dispatched Binkie and Junior to a client's house earlier when an alarm was set off. Binkie just called it in – shots fired, Junior's down. He scanned the area, didn't see an immediate threat, but the shot was taken from a distance, so he dragged Junior to cover. TDP is on the way, and an ambulance. Bobby took off with Vince to meet them at the scene."

Fuck.


End file.
